Kiev, Apr 19 (IANS): Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has handed over a questionnaire aimed at achieving his country's candidate status for the European Union (EU) membership to the EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas, the presidential press service said.

"Today is one of the stages for our country in joining the EU, the aspiration that our people are striving for and fighting for," Zelensky said at the handover ceremony in Kiev.

The people of Ukraine are united by the goal to become a part of the EU, Zelensky stressed, noting that the prompt work on providing a questionnaire to Ukraine is an important signal for Kiev, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We believe that we will gain support and become a candidate for accession," Zelensky said.

For his part, Maasikas said that Ukraine's answers to the questionnaire will be analysed "very quickly".

Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that Kiev has sent the first part of a questionnaire, which covers political and economic spheres, to the European Commission.

The other part, which assesses the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the EU laws, will be sent to the European Commission soon, Stefanishyna said.

On February 28, Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed over a questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kiev on April 8.