Nothing is off table to get Ukraine into EU, says president of bloc’s parliament

Exclusive: Roberta Metsola warns ‘pushing the can down the road’ will fuel nationalism and the far right

The European Union must begin a major wave of change to prepare for the arrival of Ukraine as a member state, the leader of its parliament has said, with “nothing off the table”, including removing trade tariffs and giving Kyiv access to internal markets before full membership.

Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Roberta Metsola, an MEP from Malta who became the European parliament’s youngest ever president last year, said she expected member states to begin formal negotiations with Ukraine as soon as December.