E.U. Ambassador to U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis discusses Ukraine - "The Takeout"

As the U.S. and allies scramble to get military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as it endures the second week of Russia's invasion, E.U. Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis says the E.U. is closer to Ukraine than it has ever been and is focusing on granting temporary residency to displaced civilians to aid the estimated one million refugees who have fled Ukraine in just the last week. E.U. membership for Ukraine: "Membership to the EU as a process, is a long process, but the fact is that we are closer to Ukraine today through the association agreement and through everything we're doing, including recently for their electricity supply, than we've ever been. We are very much focusing on ending this war, and we absolutely will focus on continuing to support Ukraine and bring it closer to the E.U."  Putin's goals: "[Putin's] trying to literally kill two birds with one stone. He is killing as we speak Ukrainians on the ground and trying to eliminate that country from existence as an independent nation, and that is very local, very real, and very bloody. But he is also trying to tear apart NATO and NATO unity. He is trying to tear apart the United Nations and international law. He's trying to create a world where might is right." 

Lambrinidis told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on this week's episode of "The Takeout" podcast, "We are very much focusing on ending this war, and we absolutely will focus on continuing to support Ukraine and bring it closer to the E.U." 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky applied for membership to the E.U. this week after the Russian invasion started, but becoming an E.U. member is a complex process that can take years. For instance, Poland, which joined in 2004, took 10 years to meet the criteria for full membership.