European diplomacy chief Borrell said that Ukraine would have to work for EU accession.
Ukraine will face a "hard fight" before joining the EU and Ukrainian society should work hard for this, European Union diplomatic chief Josep Borrel said during a speech to the staff of the community mission in Kiev.
Borrel said Brussels supports Kiev on two fronts - the war and EU accession.
"The first is a terrible fight, the second is an uphill battle," the diplomat noted. He clarified in the second case people do not die, however, it will be difficult.
At the same time, Borrel emphasized that Ukraine's accession will not happen in the next few days, but Brussels wants it to happen sooner, as it will be the best guarantee of the country's security.
The EU foreign policy chief added that Ukraine "has always been balancing between two empires" and is now "leaning towards European values".
An informal meeting of EU foreign ministers will be held in Kiev on October 2. According to Borrell, practical decisions should not be expected from the meeting.
Earlier, the first meeting of the EU diplomatic chief, Josep Borrell, with the new Ukrainian Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, took place in Kiev.