The first round of talks with Russia about ending the fighting in Ukraine has concluded, and more talks could happen soon, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Meanwhile, the president has signed an application for his country to join the European Union, in a bid to solidify his country’s bond with the West.

Mr Zelensky has posted photos of himself signing the application, and his office says the paperwork is on its way to Brussels, where the 27-nation EU has its headquarters.

At this stage, Ukraine is many years away from reaching the standards for achieving EU membership, and the 27-nation bloc is expansion-weary and unlikely to take on new members any time soon.

Also, any addition to the EU must be approved unanimously, and some member states have complicated approval procedures.

Overall, the consensus has been that Ukraine’s deep-seated corruption could make it hard for the country to win EU acceptance. Still, in an interview with Euronews on Sunday, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “We want them in the European Union.”

Regarding negotiations with Russia, Mykhailo Podolyak gave few details except to say that the talks, held near the Ukraine-Belarus border, were focused on a possible ceasefire and that a second round could take place “in the near future”.