The European Union executive is set to present an assessment on November 8 of the progress made by Ukraine in its membership application, Reuters reports.

According to three officials, this will be a key step in the EU's decision on whether to start accession talks with Ukraine.

The assessment will be presented in the annual report of the Brussels-based European Commission, which will detail how far countries wishing to join the 27-nation bloc have progressed in meeting the necessary economic, legal and other criteria.

It is noted that during the summit of EU leaders on December 14-15, a decision will be made to start formal negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU, which is one of the main priorities for Ukraine, while the war with Russia continues.

It is expected that Ukraine will receive a positive recommendation, possibly with additional conditions related to the fight against bribery and minority rights. The latter issue was raised by Hungary.