Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has expressed the hope that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union by the middle of the 21st century. He said this in an interview to RTVI.

Rinkevics said that two months ago he thought that Ukraine's accession to the EU "is very desirable, but there are so many political obstacles. And after the visit of the leaders of four states of the European Union, it became "more real than ever".

The head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry added that the consideration of Ukraine's application for the EU candidate status is a political and symbolic gesture.

"But at this stage for political, moral reasons, where we see that Ukraine stands for our values and fights for the security of Europe, I think it is a good gesture," he said.

Rinkevics stressed that Ukraine will not be able to count on early accession to the EU, but he expressed hope that it will happen before 2050.

"It won't happen, I hope, in the middle of this century. I think closer," he concluded.