The leaders of the European Union have declared their commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and reaffirmed that the future of the member country is in the EU.

They said this in the declaration adopted on Friday in Granada, Spain, on the results of an informal EU summit.

"We will continue to support Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.We have also confirmed that the future of our aspiring members and their citizens lies within the European Union," reads the document.

The EU leaders also said that enlargement is "a geo-strategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity."

"It is a driver for improving the economic and social conditions of European citizens, reducing disparities between countries, andmust foster the values on which the Union is founded. Looking ahead to the prospect of a further enlarged Union, both the EU and future Member States need to be ready. Aspiring members need to step up their reform efforts, notably in the area of rule of law,in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process and with the assistance of the EU," the document says.

Inparallel, the Union needs "to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms."

"We will set our long-term ambitions and the ways to achieve them. We will address key questions related to our priorities and policies as well as our capacity to act. This will make the EU stronger and will enhance European sovereignty," the EU leaders said.