New Delhi, Dec. 28 -- German Lawmaker Predicts 20-Year Wait.

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Steffen Kotre has delivered a blunt assessment: Ukraine's bid for European Union membership is doomed for at least the next two decades. In an interview with the Russian Izvestia on December 28, Kotre argued that Kyiv fails to meet even basic accession criteria, from rampant corruption to a war-ravaged economy, and warned that forcing Ukraine in for political reasons would spell disaster for the bloc itself.

Kotres remarks come amid escalating tensions over Ukraine's EU ambitions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed this week to have secured American backing for a "clear timeline" to join the union, a move ...