Juncker Shatters Kiev's Dreams of EU, NATO Membership Over Next 25 Years

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has ruled out the possibility of Ukraine's membership of the European Union and NATO in the coming 20-25 years.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At a press conference in The Hague on Thursday, Juncker said:

"Ukraine will certainly not become a member of the European Union in the next 20 to 25 years, as well as of NATO."

Juncker's remarks came ahead of April's advisory referendum in the Netherlands on Ukraine's association agreement with the European Union.

The free trade agreement is expected to provide Ukraine with access to the EU internal market. The referendum on the issue has been initiated in the Netherlands by EU skeptics.

An EU-Ukraine arrangement on a free trade zone came into effect on January 1. The two sides have agreed to gradually streamline the flow of goods as part of their association deal.

In March, 2014, the Ukraine–EU Association Agreement was ratified. The deal establishes a political and economic association between the parties, which seek to cooperate on and converge their economic policies, legislation, and regulations across a broad range of areas, including a visa-free regime, the exchange of information by security services, the modernization of Ukraine's infrastructure, and access to the European Investment Bank.