2030 is a very real date for Ukraine to join the European Union, Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said in an interview on May 9. In November 2023, the European Commission — the Union’s executive arm — recommended the launch of accession talks with Kyiv but said four additional reforms must be implemented. The European Council then agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine the following month. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later said that European Council President Charles Michel had named 2030 as a possible target year for further EU enlargement but added that the …