President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine intends to begin negotiations on all clusters for joining the European Union as early as the first half of 2026. He made this announcement during a joint press conference with the Presidents of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and Poland, Karol Nawrocki, which took place in Vilnius.
This is reported by Finway
EU Membership as Part of Ukraine’s Security Guarantees
According to Zelensky, specific security guarantees allow for the determination of a real date for the end of the war. One of the key components of these guarantees is Ukraine’s integration into the EU. The President emphasized that agreements with the European Union are viewed as the second priority step after receiving bilateral security guarantees from the United States, which include participation in the “Coalition of the Willing” and advancing Euro-integration.
“These are economic security guarantees for Ukraine. We want 2027 – we are talking about a specific date when Ukraine will be ready. Technically, Ukraine will be ready in the first half of 2026 regarding the opening of all clusters. It will be fully technically ready in 2027, in our view,” he said.
EU Accession as an Element of Peace Agreements
The President stressed that future EU accession must be a mandatory part of peace agreements. Ukraine aims to establish a clear date for the end of the war in the relevant treaty, so that neither party, particularly the aggressor, can block the implementation of agreements regarding Euro-integration.
Gitanas Nausėda, the President of Lithuania, reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union by 2030. President of Poland Karol Nawrocki did not specify exact timelines but emphasized that Ukraine is confidently moving towards Western civilization.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also noted that EU membership is a key security guarantee for Ukraine. Accession to the Union has already been preliminarily included in the 20-point peace plan being discussed among Ukraine, the United States, and the EU.
Some representatives of the European Commission suggest that the prospect of Ukraine’s EU membership may motivate Zelensky to agree to certain territorial concessions in favor of Russia. They believe that integration into the EU could be presented to the Ukrainian public as an important achievement even in the case of concessions.