EU: Ukrainian membership as soon as possible

The EU’s ambition is to start talks on Ukrainian membership as soon as possible. That’s according to the President of the European Council, António Costa.

EU membership is part of an American peace plan for Ukraine. In that plan, the target is set for January 2027 at the latest, something considered unrealistic. Even though Costa also aims for Ukrainian membership soon, he did not mention any date.

– We want to formally begin negotiations as soon as possible and make progress in the enlargement process, Costa said at a press conference in Oslo.

– I can’t confirm if this will happen in 2027, 2026 or even later, but keeping up the momentum is crucial.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is soon entering its fifth year. Despite the war, the country is said to be carrying out the necessary reforms to be able to join the EU. According to Costa, the progress is “particularly impressive”.

Hungarian No

For a country to join the Union, all member states must give their approval, and at present Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are saying no. However, there are plans being made to circumvent a Hungarian veto.

The fastest accession so far was Finland’s, which took less than three years from applying to membership. On the other hand, Turkey has had candidate status for almost three decades with a stalled process.