Ukraine’s EU accession timeline and reform delays strain ties with Brussels - FT

Kyiv’s rhetoric has recently become more critical of the EU, which is making it harder to find a compromise, according to seven officials who were present during negotiations. During meetings with their European and American counterparts, Ukrainian officials emphasized that the EU needs Ukraine just as much as Ukraine needs membership, and called for the process to be fast-tracked.

“Membership is not a gift,” said one of the officials, who declined to be identified. “Maybe there’s some misunderstanding in Kyiv about that.”

“They say: ‘You owe us’,” a second official said. “And that’s not helpful.”

A third official confirmed that there’s a “serious problem,” since Zelenskyy and his entourage “have never had a real understanding of how the process works.”

Zelenskyy insists on joining by 2027, but European capitals consider such a timeframe unrealistic, according to FT’s report. They also rejected the idea of “reverse enlargement” without full access to benefits.

On April 20, the Financial Times reported that France and Germany have suggested a process where Ukraine would get “symbolic” benefits in its pre-accession phase, which would grant the right for Kyiv to sit in ministerial and leaders’ meetings but have no voting rights and “no automatic application” of the shared EU budget.

Zelenskyy rejected the idea of ​​"symbolic" EU membership for Ukraine, stating that Ukraine deserves full membership because it is defending Europe more than just “symbolically.” He also emphasized that he will not agree to proposals that do not grant Ukraine access to budget and voting rights, calling such ideas unacceptable.

Zelenskyy had instructed his diplomats not to entertain or even engage with any discussions with EU governments regarding such proposals and to talk only about full EU membership, two Ukrainian officials said. “We won’t even discuss it,” one of them added.

European leaders sought to curb the Ukrainian president’s expectations during the Cyprus summit, noting that the process would be more difficult than he expected, two people briefed on the talks said.

“He had to hear some harsh truths,” said a fourth official. “It won’t be as easy as he thinks.”

Zelenskyy is intent on pushing his maximalist position, senior Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv believes that the EU will become more “realistic” with time and gradually move closer to the Ukrainian position, one of the officials noted.

Multiple EU diplomats said that they understood the pressure the Ukrainian government is under due to the war, but note that the enlargement process must be based on meeting certain criteria. They also emphasized that amid a possible decline in US support, the EU remains Ukraine’s most important partner.

“We are the only friends he has, so he might be better off keeping his mouth shut,” an anonymous official said.

The EU has expressed concern about Ukraine’s dwindling reform efforts, particularly in the area of rule of law and anti-corruption measures. They also pointed to missed deadlines over the past year to implement legislation that would have enabled Kyiv to gain more access to the bloc’s markets.

Ukraine does not agree with Brussels’ demand to increase taxes on businesses as a condition for disbursement of part of the €90 billion ($105 billion) loan, arguing that it would be a drain on an economy in the midst of a war.

“Their internal reform push has stalled,” an anonymous official said. “It is not good and everyone knows it.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stated earlier that Ukraine hopes to join the European Union by 2027. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Ukraine's accession to the EU on January 1 of next year is unrealistic. 

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he opposes fast-tracking Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.

On March 17, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported that the Ukrainian delegation in Brussels had received the European Union’s conditions for accession covering the final three negotiation clusters.