FT: Peace talks include proposal to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession to 2027

According to officials who reviewed the latest draft proposal, the document includes a target date of Jan. 1, 2027, for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The proposal is being negotiated by American and Ukrainian officials with support from Brussels.

Such a move would upend the standard accession process and require the European Union to redesign key procedures, FT writes. Ukraine has not yet completed any of the 36 formal steps required for membership.

However, officials supportive of Ukraine’s accession argue that including the issue in a peace agreement would make EU membership for Kyiv a near-certainty. They note that Brussels would be reluctant to jeopardize a peace process by opposing rapid integration.

With strong backing from Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump could also pressure Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—who previously blocked Ukraine’s accession steps—to lift his veto, the report states.

Update at 16:26: Radio Liberty, citing an EU official, reported that while Ukraine’s EU membership was discussed during recent Coalition of the Willing negotiations as a future security guarantee, the issue “was not central,” and 2027 was not mentioned.

Earlier, Euronews reported that Ukraine and the EU had agreed on a 10-point plan to help Kyiv prepare for accession despite Hungary’s veto on officially opening negotiations.

Ukraine’s path to the EU

On Oct. 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had completed an internal screening of its legislation for alignment with EU norms and was ready to open the first negotiation cluster.

On Nov. 4, the European Commission’s enlargement report said Ukraine had made record progress across most reform areas and was prepared to open the first, second, and sixth negotiation clusters. The report also stressed the need for stronger anti-corruption efforts and faster progress on rule-of-law reforms.

On Nov. 11, First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Oleksandr Korniyenko said completing negotiations by 2028 was a realistic goal.

On Dec. 2, Zelenskyy said Ukraine aims to close all six negotiation clusters by the end of 2026 and is technically ready to open all six by late 2025.