“I remember when we debated whether Ukraine could join the European Union in 2025. Clearly, we have already missed 2025, but now the discussion is about 2027, and that looks like a quite realistic date,” historian Yaroslav Hrytsak said.
He described the prospect of Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU as a “phenomenon.”
“We could not have imagined that Ukraine would now be able to provide security for all of Europe. We could not have imagined that Ukraine would become a cornerstone of European security. When we talk about such things, they are moving very fast — perhaps even too fast,” Hrytsak added.
Ukraine’s accession to the EU
On Feb. 9, 2026, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the European Union is preparing a range of options to include Ukraine’s membership in a future peace agreement, potentially through a gradual process that would provide Kyiv with preliminary safeguards.
On Feb. 10, Politico reported that the EU is developing an unprecedented plan that could grant Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as 2027.
On Feb. 15, at the Munich Security Conference, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said EU member states are not yet ready to name a specific accession date for Ukraine, as urged by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Feb. 23, European Pravda reported that the EU had handed Kyiv a document listing the reforms required for accession. The bloc will assess Ukraine’s readiness for membership based on these criteria.
In November 2025, the European Commission published its enlargement report, noting that Ukraine has demonstrated record progress in most key reform areas and is ready to open the first, second and sixth negotiation clusters. At the same time, the report said Kyiv needs to intensify efforts to combat corruption and accelerate reforms related to the rule of law.
On Feb. 24, at a joint news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, Zelenskyy said 2027 is extremely important and expressed hope that Ukraine would join the EU that year.
“2027 is extremely important. And I hope that we will be able to join the European Union then, and that Vladimir Putinwill not block us for a decade,” Zelenskyy said.
Von der Leyen, however, stressed that setting a specific accession date is not possible.