German defence minister says agreeing on EU accession date for Ukraine is realistic
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said it is realistic to agree on a specific date for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, but stressed that this would require negotiations and separate preparatory work.
Source: Pistorius at a briefing ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Pistorius was asked to respond to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent assertion that Ukraine needs a date to be set for its EU accession since EU membership is part of the security guarantees.
Pistorius said he thinks it is realistic to agree on a date: "A specific date is always possible."
He cautioned, however, that determining the date would require separate work.
Quote: "What should it be? This has to be negotiated. It's not something that can be decided in the heat of the moment."
Details: Pistorius's comments are the first indication from the German government that this demand from Ukraine is considered acceptable.
Background:
- Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it is not possible for Ukraine to join the EU on 1 January 2027, but he neither confirmed nor denied that another date might be agreed on.
- This week, Zelenskyy stated again that Ukraine needs a specific date for EU accession to be defined within the peace negotiations.
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