Ukraine's demands for EU membership won't necessarily bring Kiev and Brussels closer together, Ilves said during the GLOBSEC security conference in Slovakia.
To join the EU, Ukraine must first work hard and make reforms, instead of screaming for concessions and demanding membership, the Estonian President said.
Ilves brought up the example of Estonia that demonstrated how a country could join the EU.
"In February 1997, I was personally told in Bonne: you [Estonia] won't be an EU member, we won't let you become one. But, as you can see, this can change eventually… We [Estonia] didn't ask for concessions, there were no promises about the future, we just worked, made reforms," Ilves said.
"We won't do reforms until you give us a promise [on membership] — it reminds me of a scene from some movie, when a robber runs into a bank, points the gun at his head and says ‘Give me money or I'll shoot myself.' This is the wrong way. To promise the collapse of your country if you aren't invited [in the EU] is not efficient."
The 10th annual GLOBSEC Global Security Forum is taking place in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava this weekend.
