Foreign Ministry responded to Netherlands' statement that Ukraine would not soon receive EU candidate status.

It is unfair to link Ukraine's EU candidate status to progress in integrating the Western Balkans.

According to Censor.NET, RBC-Ukraine was told about this by the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko, commenting on the statement of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte that Ukraine will not soon receive the status of a candidate for EU membership.

"We fully support the European integration of the Western Balkans, but each country deserves an individual approach based on its own virtues," he said.

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According to him, granting candidate status to Ukraine and the Western Balkans does not contradict each other.

"On the contrary, it should be a complementary process. The integration of Ukraine and the Western Balkans will only make the EU stronger and more prosperous," Nikolenko said.

As reported, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte said in parliament that the chances that Ukraine will soon become a candidate for accession to the European Union are small. The EU may limit itself to calling it a potential candidate.