Ukraine has the "ambitious goal" to open five or six EU accession negotiation clusters in 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15.
Ukraine applied for EU membership at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The country has made quick progress, achieving candidate status within months, with the initial negotiations formally launching in June 2024.
Ukraine will open two or three negotiation clusters in the first six months of 2025 under Poland's rotating presidency, Zelensky said during his official visit to Warsaw.
Poland will lead the EU Council's presidency for six months from January, and Denmark will take over the role in July. Ukraine aims to open three more negotiation clusters in the second half of 2025 under the Danish chairmanship, the president noted.
"We have an ambitious goal to open five to six clusters. In principle, we can open them all this year, if we succeed. We will try to do it all," Zelensky said.
There are six accession negotiation clusters, consisting of several individual chapters. Negotiations prepare a candidate country to become an EU member.
The EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said that Ukraine could potentially join the bloc by 2029 if it successfully implements necessary reforms.
EU membership, alongside continued weapons shipments and NATO accession, are among the key security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said on Jan. 15 as his country continues to face Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
