PARIS, March 10. /TASS/. The possible admission of Ukraine and several other countries to the European Union (EU) would create extra decision-making problems in the continent-wide bloc, but Brussels must maintain the prospect of such a move to support Kiev, Clement Beaune, Secretary of State at the French Foreign Ministry, said on the France Inter radio station on Thursday.

"The acceptance of Ukraine into the EU won't happen tomorrow," he said, "Perhaps in a few years, I don't know when exactly this will happen, the EU will be enlarged to include Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and other countries. But it won't be the same EU, it won't be able to function as before. We have difficulty making decisions with 27 countries, imagine what will happen when there are 35 of them."

"What is needed today is a political signal that the EU is open to this future accession. But above all we need solidarity with Ukraine, concrete action on the ground, including humanitarian and military aid. Lives cannot be saved by negotiating accession to the EU," he added.

A two-day informal summit of EU heads of state opens on Thursday in Versailles, a southwestern suburb of Paris, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council. An EU representative explained to journalists in Brussels that one of the summit’s main issues will be Ukraine's bid for membership in the continent-wide bloc. At the same time, the diplomat made it clear that Kiev should not expect any quick decisions because the process of joining the EU is a long one. European leaders will also discuss new sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine.