EU and Ukrainian flags. Archival photoMOSCOW, May 28.Greece and Cyprus oppose the accelerated procedure for Ukraine's accession to the EU, according to the Euractiv portal, citing sources in Athens and Nicosia.
"According to sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affairs of Greece, Athens insists that it is necessary to comply with all the procedures provided for in Article 49 of the EU Treaty , according to the interlocutors of the portal, Greece attaches particular importance to the process of accession to the EU of the Western Balkan states, insisting on the priority of this direction. A similar position is taken by Cyprus, which also advocates the observance of the usual procedure for joining the European Union and calls to take into account the interests of the countries of the Western Balkans, which have already taken great steps 
Ukraine may be forced to merge with Poland, Yanuk said «All relevant procedures must be strictly followed, so the accession process will be long,» a source in the government of the island state said. Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the EU should not make exceptions for Ukraine, deviating from the rules . Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte also noted that the chances of Ukraine to soon receive the status of a candidate for EU membership are small. A similar opinion is shared by the minister-delegate to the French Foreign Ministry for European Affairs Clement Bon. According to him, the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU may take 15-20 years.