Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are unlikely to join the European Union for the foreseeable future, but the bloc will look for alternative ways to increase economic and political cooperation with them as a part of its geopolitical competition with Russia. France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, announced on March 7 that the bloc will officially assess membership requests from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. EU heads of state and government will probably discuss the issue during a summit on March 10. While Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have sought to enter the European Union for years, the war in Ukraine has accelerated their requests for membership. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally applied for EU membership on Feb. 28, only days after the beginning of Russia's invasion of the country .