'Ukraine's future is within the European Union' — Irish PM aims to open all EU negotiation clusters for Kyiv by end of year

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Nov. 11 that it is still his goal to advance Ukraine's accession to the European Union as much as possible by the end of the year, when Ireland's presidency of the Council of the EU ends.

Martin delivered his remarks at a joint press conference alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Dublin earlier that day ahead of the European Political Community summit on Nov. 12.

"It is my strong belief that Ukraine's future is within the European Union," Martin said at the start of the briefing. "We have put Ukraine at the heart of our European Union presidency program."

Martin highlighted the EU's 21st package of sanctions against Russia and the ongoing disbursement of the EU support loan, saying he remained committed to helping Ukraine finance its defense against Russia through 2027.

"We're also working to achieve as much progress as possible in Ukraine's journey to European Union membership during our term," he said. "We have opened three negotiating clusters and will do all that we can to  ensure that the remaining two are opened before the end of the presidency."

Ireland's term as chair of the EU's rotating Council Presidency ends on Dec. 31, 2026. Until then, Dublin is responsible for setting the bloc's agenda, and has repeatedly identified EU enlargement as a primary goal.

Ukraine unlocked a third and fourth of the six enlargement clusters on Oct. 13, leaving two still to go.

Zelensky thanked Martin for Ireland's support and affirmed that Kyiv is ready to advance its bid for EU integration.

"We are set to open all negotiation clusters this year," he said. "This is a very important achievement."

Martin acknowledged that opening the final clusters before the end of the year would require "persuasion," but said Ireland hopes to leverage the bloc's "goodwill" for Ukraine to meet this deadline.

Zelensky's visit to Ireland directly followed the latest round of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. While the talks yielded no immediate breakthrough, U.S. Envoy Jared Kushner said he believed the discussions laid the groundwork for future multilateral talks involving Europe.

Zelensky said that the Americans' support for a European presence at the negotiating table was a key development in the diplomatic process.

"This is very important, because the war in Ukraine is a war in Europe," he said. "To end this war without the participation of Europe is unfair and impossible, to be honest."

Kushner and Witkoff are expected to brief Zelensky in Dublin directly following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

During the joint briefing, Martin and Zelensky also announced that Ukraine and Ireland were preparing to partner on joint drone production.

"In terms of the drone agreement, we're exploring and we're looking at drawing up a joint memorandum in terms of Ireland Ukraine and Ireland having a relationship in terms of drone technology," Martin said.

Ireland is most interested in unmanned systems that support maritime security, Martin said, but the work is still ongoing.