Commenting on discussions among European politicians about the pace and conditions of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv is ready to fulfill all the necessary requirements, but expects clear and fair rules of the game.
“Don’t give us any conditions like “EU-lite” or Article 5, as with security guarantees. Be honest with us,” the president said, emphasizing that Ukraine strives to be on the same level with everyone.
He also noted that the majority of Ukrainians support European integration, but delaying the process could affect the mood in society.
“The majority – the huge majority of our country, more than 80% – wants to be in the EU. But in two or three years, Russia will continue to block this process, using someone in the EU, and then support could drop to 50%. Don’t do this. We are strong enough to strengthen the EU,” the head of state noted.
Zelensky added that during the war it is difficult for Ukraine to implement individual decisions, in particular in the economic sphere, but Kyiv is ready for a constructive dialogue.
At the same time, he called on the EU to determine a clear time frame for the negotiation process and warned that delays in European integration could have geopolitical consequences.
“I said: you will lose Ukraine the same way you lost Georgia, and you may lose other countries where Russia has influence,” Zelensky added.
Context
January 16 Financial Times wrote that the European Commission is preparing proposals to revise the EU accession system and replace it with a model that could speed up Ukraine’s accession. On January 25, the European Commission confirmed that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is being discussed in the context of security guarantees for Kyiv. However, it was noted that There are no clear dates for joining.
On February 10, Politico reported that the EU was developing a five-point plan under which Ukraine could join the union as early as 2027. President Vladimir Zelensky stated that by 2027 Ukraine will technically be ready to become a member of the EU.
According to Reuters, a number of European Union countries, including France and Germany, are skeptical about Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU. Among their concerns is that Ukraine, after joining, will not continue reforms, such as the fight against corruption, the media wrote.
On March 17, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko informed that the Ukrainian delegation in Brussels received from the European Union conditions (benchmarks) for Ukraine to join the bloc in the final three negotiation clusters.
On March 24, European Commissioner for Enlargement Martha Kos said that the date of Ukraine's accession to the EU depends on the end of the war in the country and the implementation of reforms.
