Ireland supports Ukraine's speedy accession to the EU, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said, according to Bild.

"Many Ukrainians are motivated by the dream of having a different future. This is the future we have in the EU today, in terms of peace, stability, prosperity, democracy and everything that follows from this," the publication quoted the minister as saying on Wednesday, November 9.

He also emphasized that a country, which is literally fighting for its survival against a military superpower today, "should be able to hope for full EU membership, not some partial membership or neighborhood agreement".

Coveney also said that besides Ukraine, other countries, such as the Balkan states or the former Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia, should benefit from expansion.

"We have been dragging out the process of accepting some Balkan countries for too long," he said.

The minister also noted there should be mandatory standards which relevant candidate countries should stick to.

"Also, we should praise progress when we can see it," Coveney said.