EU enlargement process needs to change for Ukraine, commissioner says

In the interview, she warned Brussels that the strict accession procedure, last used in 2013 when Croatia joined, risks becoming a dead end for Ukraine’s application.

“If there is a right time to accelerate enlargement, the time is right now,” the FT quoted Kos. “I’m not here in this place to manage the status quo.”

Adding new members, especially Ukraine, which has resisted Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years, is a geopolitical necessity, Kos said, calling on national governments to move “from words to actions.”

“Ukraine is simply too big to fail; that’s why it deserves special care,” she told the FT.

“We will have peace at some point. You know, I’m more afraid for this day to come [before we are ready]. Because then it will be, ‘Are we able to deliver?”