2026-02-09 19:35
publication
2026-02-09 19:35
The EU is preparing a number of solutions to include Ukraine's accession to the Community in the peace plan. For example, it is being considered to extend the protection of Kyiv to EU countries, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people who know the details of these arrangements.
Possible protection for Ukraine would be combined with access to certain opportunities and rights available to member states, said Bloomberg's sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
At the same time, the Community would give Ukraine a clear message about the schedule of individual stages of the formal procedure required before joining the Union.
Other solutions considered include continuing the accession procedures already undertaken or gradually granting Ukraine membership in the Community.
The 20-point peace plan, which Kiev is working on mainly with Washington, assumes that Ukraine will join the EU in 2027, but it will be granted certain benefits resulting from EU membership even earlier, explains Bloomberg.
In response to the agency's question, the European Commission spokesman said that Ukraine's accession to the EU is an element of the peace agreement.
The EU is building ties with candidate countries to the EU even before their accession, and in the case of Ukraine, certain mechanisms are already being used as part of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements procedure, the spokesman added.
Kiev obtained the status of a candidate for the Community in 2022, soon after Russia's attack on Ukraine, and consent to start accession talks – at the end of 2023. Formal negotiations started in 2024, but the process was slowed down by Hungary, which is blocking the opening of the so-called negotiation clusters – thematic groups regarding reforms that the candidate country must implement before joining the EU – reminds the American agency. (PAP)
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