This file photo taken on May 24, 2018 shows flags of Ukraine and the European Union outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. (PHOTO/ XINHUA)
KYIV – Ukraine aims to join the European Union within a year after the start of the membership talks, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday.
"Our goal is to start EU membership negotiations in 2023. I think it will take about a year for Ukraine to become a full member," Kuleba was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Ukraine is performing the tasks put forward by the EU for the membership "much faster than anyone expected," the minister stressed.
The European Commission put forward seven requirements to be fulfilled by Ukraine for starting the accession talks
In June 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc.
The European Commission put forward seven requirements to be fulfilled by Ukraine for starting the accession talks.
ALSO READ: Ukraine to meet EU's requirements for membership talks by yearend
Grain, oilseeds harvest to fall
Separately, Ukraine's combined harvest of grain and oilseeds will fall about 7 percent in 2023 to 65 million tons, the news agency reported Thursday, citing a senior official.
"We plan to harvest 65 million tons of crops this year," said Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The contamination of more than 2.6 million hectares of Ukraine's agricultural lands with landmines is one of the main causes for the projected harvest decline, she said.
Last week, Ukraine's Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry forecast that Ukraine would yield 45 million tons of grain and legumes this year.
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In 2022, Ukrainian farmers harvested 70 million tons of grain and oilseeds.