European Union Formally Grants Candidate Status to Ukraine

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R), Romanian President Klaus Iohannis (L), Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi (C), Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2nd L) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 16, 2022. Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP

European Union leaders agreed on June 23 to accept Ukraine as a candidate to join the European Union, although it’s not clear whether the eastern European country will become one.

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, confirmed that leaders had approved EU candidate status for not only Ukraine, but also its neighbor Moldova. The bloc hasn’t welcomed any new nations since Croatia in 2013.