Former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has slammed the prospect of Ukraine joining the European Union.
Juncker has come out and branded Ukraine as “corrupt” in an interview with a German news outlet.
Ukraine has been dogged with questions over the country’s commitment to root out systemic corruption over the years.
The country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is currently waging an anti-corruption campaign amid a string of recent scandals involving Ukrainian officials.
Juncker’s outburst puts the former Commission chief at odds with the current president Ursula von der Leyen who is seen as being more favourable to Ukraine’s eventual membership.
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Juncker told Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine: “Anyone who has had anything to do with Ukraine knows that this is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society.
“Despite its efforts, it is not ready for accession; it needs massive internal reform processes.”
He went on to criticise some for giving Ukrainians “false promises” over EU candidacy.
Junker said: “You shouldn’t make false promises to the people in Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering. I am very angry about some voices in Europe who are telling Ukrainians that they can become members immediately.”
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