Ukraine needs 'specific date' for entry into EU, Zelensky says
The European Union must set a "specific date" for Ukraine to formally join the bloc, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Feb. 11.
Zelensky's remarks come a day after a European Commission spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 10 that the EU considers Ukraine's accession efforts part of the ongoing peace process, but does not speculate on possible entry dates. That same day, Politico reported that the EU is drafting a plan for Ukraine to join the bloc as early as 2027 — albeit without full membership rights.
"Ukraine will do everything to be technically ready for accession by 2027," Zelensky told journalists when asked about the reported partial membership.
"We will at least accomplish the main steps. Second, I want a specific date. I am absolutely confident that if in the agreement ... there is no date, then Russia will do everything to block the process."
Zelensky said he would not sign a peace agreement with the U.S., Russia, and Europe if the agreement did not include a specific date for Ukraine's EU accession.
"This ... is about security guarantees, security guarantees for Ukraine," he said. "These are specific details, with a specific date. And my signature today, on the 20-point plan, the plan to end the war, guarantees Ukrainians that there will be a specific date for our accession."
Zelensky in late January set 2027 as the target date for Ukraine's entry into the EU. The proposal met with opposition from some EU members, including both supporters and skeptics of Ukraine's European path.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has raised alarm over the possibility of Ukraine's fast-tracked accession. Following the Politico story, Orban called the reported plan to admit Ukraine by 2027 "an open declaration of war against Hungary."
The timeline is not Orban's only point of contention, as he continues to insist Kyiv must never become a member of the EU.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — head of the EU's largest economy and supporter of Kyiv's EU candidacy — has also said that the 2027 entry date is "out of the question."
Ukraine applied to join the EU in February 2022, mere days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Kyiv was granted candidate status in 2022, and the EU formally opened accession talks with Ukraine in 2024. However, de facto negotiations on specific accession clusters have not yet begun, and Hungary has used its veto power to block the process.
