Discussions on Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession moving into practical realm – Sybiha

Discussions on Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the European Union are gradually taking on a practical dimension. In Europe, awareness is growing of the importance of Ukraine’s membership as an element of common security and the strategic development of the European community, despite certain reservations and differences of opinion.

This was stated by Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha at a joint press conference in Kyiv with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted that Ukraine needs defined timelines and clear deadlines for accelerated accession to the EU, as this is an element of security guarantees and part of the future security architecture not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe.

“After Munich, after the meetings of the President of Ukraine, and all the meetings held by the team, I can confirm that such discussions (on Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU – ed.) are ongoing. We have a certain level of understanding, but there is also some resistance to this approach. There is a short-sighted position of Hungary, which is completely blocking all efforts by the Ukrainian side in this direction,” Sybiha said.

At the same time, he stressed that the most important thing is that Europe also understands that Ukraine is needed by the European world and that it would bring many benefits to the EU – from security to strengthening Europe’s political, diplomatic, and economic positions.

“Therefore, it seems to me that this process is gaining a practical dimension. Discussions are ongoing. We have already had some concrete talks with different visions and different formulas, but undoubtedly a great deal of work still lies ahead,” the minister added.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that under the current methodology, Ukraine’s accession to the European Union on January 1, 2027, is not possible. Solutions and a balance must be found in light of new challenges, and the EU is already discussing this.