Zelensky, von der Leyen discuss EU accession and peace summit

President Volodymyr Zelensky and head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, held a video conference on May 9 and discussed Kyiv's accession to the EU.

In a tweet on X, von der Leyen also confirmed she would be attending the upcoming peace summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.

The event will be centered around Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, a plan first outlined by Zelensky in fall 2022 that calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian lands.

Earlier on May 9, Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said 2030 is a very real date for Ukraine to join the European Union.

In November 2023, the European Commission — the Union's executive arm — recommended the launch of accession talks with Kyiv but said four additional reforms must be implemented.

The European Council then agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine the following month.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later said that European Council President Charles Michel had named 2030 as a possible target year for further EU enlargement but added that the Commission would work to try to integrate Ukraine on a faster timeline.

In an interview with Ukrainian media, Mathernova said that predicting when exactly Ukraine would become a member of the EU is "the same as looking into a crystal ball for predictions." However, she agreed with Prime Minister Shmyhal's assessment that 2030 is a feasible date.

"Based on my own observations on life in Kyiv, on interaction with the Ukrainian authorities, representatives of business and media, as well as taking into account the expansion process in the past, which I know well, I believe that 2030 is a very realistic date.

"The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also announced during a visit to Kyiv on May 9 that official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin before the end of the first half of 2024.