Disagreements in the EU: no common position on Ukraine’s accession in 2027
15 February 19:16
There is currently no consensus within the European Union on the date of Ukraine’s accession to the bloc. EU governments are not ready to give their opinion on the date despite the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a statement by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, quoted by Reuters.
“I have a feeling that member states are not ready to name a specific date… There is still a lot of work ahead,” she said.
The publication writes that most EU governments consider the date of EU accession specified in the 20-point peace plan proposed by the US — January 1, 2027 — to be unrealistic, as is any other fixed date.
They argue that EU accession is a process based on “merits and achievements.” It moves forward when there is progress in adapting the candidate’s legislation to EU standards.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs supports Kallas’ position, but he is also very skeptical about the possibility of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. In particular, he said that the EU “showed creativity” when it was needed, but now there are many other candidates for membership.
“Yes, we understand that we need Ukraine in the European Union, and yes, when I talk to many heads of state, I get the impression that there is no readiness to accept a date… Whether you like it or not, this is very closely linked to the peace agreement. Will there be a peace agreement or not? I don’t see Russia moving anything, and if Russia doesn’t move, we won’t have an agreement,” he concluded.
It should be noted that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also considers such an accelerated accession to the bloc “out of the question” and “impossible.” There are other voices against such an accelerated accession of Ukraine.
On February 14, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that, according to the current methodology, Ukraine will not be able to join the EU until 2027. For this reason, Brussels is considering the possibility of applying a “geopolitical approach” to speed up the process.
