The European Commission issued an opinion on Friday recommending that Ukraine be granted European Union candidate status. Following Russia's invasion, Ukraine is among a group of states seeking to join the bloc as quickly as possible, hoping to align themselves closely with the West and receive protection. But the decision to grant candidate status is the first step of a long and complicated process. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1 For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch #Ukraine #EuropeanUnion