As the war drags on, Ukraine's path to joining the European Union becomes narrower. Reuters. More than a dozen EU diplomats and officials have privately pointed to significant hurdles that Kiev and the EU will have to overcome before Ukraine can join the bloc. "In many countries, policymakers do not expect Ukraine to join the European Union in 10 years," says political analyst Gerald Knauss. However, any signal that the EU is not serious about Ukraine's accession could affect the country, "which no one in Europe wants to see," he added. Kyiv faces other challenges, such as an uncertain outcome of the war, a history of deep-rooted corruption and the large size of Ukraine, which makes the integration process difficult. Among the obstacles facing the European Union is the growing influence of populist parties opposed to Ukraine's entry into the bloc. Only 47% of EU residents believe that Ukraine should join in the coming years, down from 69% in March 2022, according to a survey by the German political fund Keren Bertelsmann. In France and Poland, 57% of respondents spoke out against Ukraine's membership in the European Union in the coming years. In Germany this figure was 59%. A senior European diplomat admitted that Ukraine's entry into the European Union is not a realistic prospect in the coming years. Another person noted that with many national elections scheduled next year, many governments will have too much on their plate to vote on expanding the bloc.