KYIV, March 2 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine would complete the technical work needed to start negotiations on all topics in the EU accession process within days.
Zelensky reiterated his call for EU partners to agree on a firm date for Ukraine’s EU membership, saying it would provide an important guarantee for the country’s future security as Kyiv negotiates an end to the war with Moscow.
“We are ready, but not all EU leaders are… I mean, not everyone is ready to give Ukraine this chance,” Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp media chat.
Shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine became an official EU candidate.
But so far, Kyiv’s progress in existing EU processes has been stymied by Hungary, which has blocked the unanimous approval needed to formally open six pending so-called “clusters” of accession issues.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains the EU’s closest ties with Russia and faces crucial elections in April, also scuttled the EU’s latest €90 billion aid package for Ukraine this year and next.
Orban accused Ukraine of blocking Russian oil supplies to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline that runs through Ukraine. Ukraine said the pipeline was damaged by a Russian drone strike.
Kyiv sees EU membership as key to Ukraine’s future
Kyiv sees EU membership as key to its postwar future. The draft 20-point peace plan agreed with the United States and being negotiated with Russia includes Ukraine’s accession to the EU on a specifically determined date.
EU officials say Ukraine has a mixed record on transparency, corruption and the rule of law and may need years of reforms to meet EU entry standards.
Zelensky reiterated on Monday that Ukraine will be technically ready to join the European Union next year and said the timing of its entry into the 27-nation bloc depends on the political will of its partners.
“If they really believe in Ukraine, if they want to see Ukraine join the EU, then this is the opportunity: to give Ukraine a concrete date when the war ends and not repeat the mistakes they made with NATO,” he said.
(Reporting by Yulia Dessa and Olena Hammash; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Peter Graf)
