Faster EU accession is possible, but European Union must take all candidates into account – Ukraine's foreign minister

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has stated in Munich that Ukraine is consulting with partners about setting a fixed date for accession to the European Union, and that any such agreements must also take other candidate countries into account.

Source: Sybiha speaking to journalists in Munich, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The minister emphasised that Ukraine's public calls to enshrine a specific accession date in official documents are realistic.

"All these discussions are realistic. Ukraine is openly raising the positions and expectations we count on," he said.

According to Sybiha, negotiations on how to formalise such a date are based on the understanding that this is not only about Ukraine's accession, but also about a new security framework.

"For us, EU membership is an element of security guarantees. That is why we are currently holding active consultations with our European partners," he explained.

The minister added that his optimism is partly based on the fact that Ukraine and the EU managed to overcome the issue of Hungary's veto by launching a frontloading process. "This is a good example of how to find the right formulas for advancing Ukraine's membership in the EU," he said.

"But we must not forget that there are also the Western Balkans and Moldova [undergoing accession into the EU – ed.]. Therefore, this is a comprehensive issue, and we are working with our European partners," he noted. In particular, the minister explained that under any scenario – including a possible fast-track accession for Ukraine – Kyiv would not go through the process alone. "It is very important to understand that Ukraine is categorically against decoupling [separating the Ukraine-Moldova group in the accession process – ed.], because Moldova and Ukraine share a common path toward EU membership," Sybiha explained.

Read more about how Ukraine reached an agreement with the EU on advancing toward membership – both its own and Moldova's – in the article Plan B for Ukraine: how Orbán was barred from blocking Kyiv's EU bid

There is currently an ongoing discussion about Ukraine's accelerated accession within the framework of peace negotiations. More on this in the article Bringing Ukraine into the EU by 2027: exploring the idea of "membership-lite" as part of a peace deal

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