The European Commission said that Ukraine has only made good progress on two of seven reforms needed for it to accede to the EU but highlighted that was still an achievement given it is at war with Russia.

The EC will provide a preliminary oral assessment of Ukraine's progress towards membership on June 22. The report will highlight that Ukraine has fully implemented two of the recommendations, specifically in the areas of judicial reform and media legislation, according to diplomatic sources within the EU cited by Ukrayinska Pravda on June 19. The specifics of Ukraine’s shortcomings were not detailed in the report.

While the report will recognise that progress has been made, it will also note that a lot more work needs to be done. Ukraine has started preparations for a post-war reconstruction and there is a major reconstruction conference slated to happen in London later this week, but potential investors thinking about participating in a reconstruction fund have already expressed concerns with not only war fears, but the shoddy state of governance and the high levels of corruption in the country as an obstacle to raising large amounts of investment.

One EU diplomatic source mentioned that although there has been some progress in judiciary reforms, there are still key areas that require attention. Additionally, the oligarch law enacted in September 2021 was considered insufficient by EU officials.

The EU is unlikely to adopt a negative tone towards Ukraine at this time due to its support for the Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression. The sources emphasised the importance of acknowledging the progress that has been made and highlighted prominent anti-corruption cases as examples of positive developments. Despite blatant stealing, few high-level officials caught red handed with their hands in the cookie jar have been convicted of corruption or jailed.

The assessment by the EU aligns with the views of Ukraine’s vocal civil society, as judicial reforms and media legislation are in demand by civil society, who are also dissatisfied with the pace of change. One of the points of progress has been the establishment of the High Qualification Commission of Judges that was set up to hire honest judges, as the judiciary is notoriously corrupt. The formation of the commission has been repeatedly blocked by vested interests in the administration.

The interim report on the implementation of the EC's recommendations by Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia will be presented to representatives of EU countries this week. The foreign ministers of EU states will discuss the report during their meeting in Stockholm on June 22. Ukraine and Moldova were offered official candidate status to join the EU in June 2022; however, Georgia was not, due to backsliding on its commitment to EU values in recent years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen on June 19 prior to the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in London regarding further financial support for Ukraine and the prospects for approving the eleventh package of sanctions against Russia.

In turn, von der Leyen highlighted her conversation with the Ukrainian president, where they discussed "the EU's financial support beyond 2023 and the progress made by Ukraine on its reforms" with the Ukrainian president.