Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday that his nation will finish technical preparations needed to begin European Union membership negotiations within the coming days.
Speaking to reporters through a WhatsApp media session, Zelenskyy again urged EU partners to establish a concrete timeline for Ukraine’s admission to the bloc, arguing this would serve as a crucial security guarantee for his country as it works to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia.
“We are ready, but not all leaders of the European Union are… I mean, not everyone is ready to give Ukraine this opportunity,” Zelenskyy stated.
Ukraine gained official EU candidate status shortly after Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
However, Kiev’s advancement through the standard EU membership process has stalled due to Hungary’s opposition, which has prevented the required unanimous consent to formally begin discussions on the six main “clusters” of membership requirements.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains the strongest Russia ties within the EU and faces crucial elections in April, has also blocked the most recent EU aid package for Ukraine valued at 90 billion euros spanning this year and next.
Orban claims Ukraine has cut off Russian oil deliveries to Hungary through the historic Druzhba pipeline that runs through Ukrainian territory. Ukraine maintains the pipeline suffered damage from a Russian drone strike.
Kiev views EU membership as essential to its post-conflict reconstruction. Ukraine’s inclusion in the EU with a specific entry date appears in preliminary versions of a 20-point peace framework developed jointly by Ukraine and the United States, currently being discussed with Russia.
European Union officials have indicated that Ukraine, given its checkered history regarding government transparency, anti-corruption efforts, and legal system reforms, may require several years of institutional changes to satisfy EU entry standards.
Zelenskyy reiterated Monday that Ukraine would be technically prepared for EU membership by next year, emphasizing that the actual timing depends on political commitment from existing member nations.
“If they truly believe in Ukraine, if they want to see Ukraine in the EU, then this is the opportunity: at the end of the war, to give Ukraine a concrete date and not repeat the mistake they made with NATO,” he explained.
