The statement reinforces a central tension in Europe’s
Ukraine policy: Kyiv is pressing to anchor EU membership to a postwar
settlement timeline, while Brussels insists accession remains strictly
conditional — dependent on reforms, benchmarks and unanimous backing from
member states.
“We have taken note of the statement and commitment of
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We fully understand how committed he is to the
enlargement process and the negotiations,” Pinho said, responding to
Zelenskyy’s assertion that Ukraine would be ready within days to open all six
accession negotiation clusters.
Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert confirmed that the Commission
considers Ukraine ready to open all six clusters, but stressed that the next
move lies with EU governments.
“We are ready to support Ukraine on its path to the EU,”
Lammert said.
Asked whether Brussels supports setting a concrete accession
year — including 2027 in the context of a potential peace agreement — Pinho
said the accession framework does not allow the EU to adopt political deadlines
as its own.
“We cannot have this as our own benchmark. It is the
benchmark of the Ukrainian president, not ours. On our side, we are committed
to doing everything possible to help Ukraine move forward in this process,
because it is indeed carrying out enormous work under extremely difficult
conditions,” she said.
Zelenskyy on Feb. 24 described 2027 as a pivotal year and
expressed hope that Ukraine could join the EU then — a timeline that would
align membership with the consolidation of a peace settlement. European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has likewise stressed that fixing a
specific accession date is not possible under EU rules.
For Brussels, the distinction is strategic as well as
procedural: tying accession to a calendar could weaken the bloc’s leverage over
reforms and complicate internal consensus at a time when enlargement remains
politically sensitive across several member states.
Ukraine’s EU accession — what is known
On Feb. 9, 2026, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that
the European Union was preparing options to incorporate Ukraine’s future
membership into a peace agreement, potentially through phased integration that
could grant Kyiv preliminary protections before full accession.
On Feb. 10, Politico reported that the EU was developing an
unprecedented plan that could grant Ukraine partial membership as early as
2027.
On Feb. 15, at the Munich Security Conference, EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said member
states were not ready to name a specific accession date, despite Zelenskyy’s
calls.
On Feb. 23, European Pravda reported that the EU had
provided Kyiv with a document detailing the reforms required for accession.
Those benchmarks will determine whether Ukraine is deemed ready.
In November 2025, the European Commission’s enlargement
report stated that Ukraine had made record progress in most key reform areas
and was prepared to open the first, second and sixth negotiation clusters. It
also said Kyiv must intensify anti-corruption efforts and accelerate
rule-of-law reforms.