Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba called inappropriate the statement of Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid that Ukraine will need at least 20 years to join the European Union.

"We are disappointed with such statements and consider them inappropriate. We brought this position to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, to the Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine. We believe that such things should not be heard from friends and partners," Kuleba said on the air of the Ukraine 24 television channel on Friday.

Kuleba said it was strange for him to hear this from the Estonian leader after their communication during the Crimea Platform and events on the Independence Day of Ukraine.

"A little over 20 years ago, Western countries in the same mentoring tone told Estonians, Lithuanians, Latvians that it takes 20-30 years to mature in the EU and NATO. Therefore, of course, it was strange for me to hear these words from the President of Estonia. I spoke to her in the Crimea Platform summit and it was optimistic. I do not know what influenced it in the interview, but these statements do not correspond to the friendly nature of our relations," Kuleba said.

Earlier, in an interview with the European Truth newspaper, Estonian President Kaljulaid said that in order to become a full-fledged member of the European Union, Ukraine will have to work hard for 20 years. According to her, neither Ukraine, nor Georgia, nor Moldova still meet the requirements for EU membership.