Some European Union countries are proposing that Ukraine postpone full membership for a period of 10 to 20 years to ensure the irreversibility of the reforms carried out. Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka stated this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, such a long waiting period is unacceptable for Kyiv. At the same time, he noted, there are other control mechanisms that can satisfy partners in the European Union.
" We can move quickly. Everything that is asked of us is realistic, it requires the normal work of the Verkhovna Rada, the government, and other institutions. And then Ukraine and the 27 EU member states sit down together, a working group is created to write an agreement on the conditions of accession to the European Union. And everything is determined there: what transitional periods, what is valid, what is not valid. We are shortening the path in such a way that in the 27th year it would be possible to sign the accession agreement itself ," Kachka explained.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that some influential EU countries, in particular Germany, prioritize the factor of trust in state institutions. European partners seek to see not only the adoption of laws, but also their stable operation over a long period of time.
According to Bloomberg, the European Union is also considering several options that could cement Ukraine's membership in a future peace agreement. Possible solutions include providing Kyiv with guarantees related to EU membership, as well as access to some of the rights of member states before full accession.
It is reported that the draft 20-point peace plan, on which Ukraine is working mainly together with the United States, envisages the possibility of joining the European Union in 2027. Until then, Ukraine may receive certain benefits of membership.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Kyiv seeks to join the EU as soon as possible, as membership is seen as one of the key security guarantees for the state.
Ukraine was granted candidate status for membership of the European Union in 2022 after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion. In late 2023, the EU approved the start of accession negotiations, and the formal negotiation process began in 2024. At the same time, progress in this process is complicated by the position of individual member states, in particular Hungary.
At the same time, it became known that Ukraine has already received a full package of conditions for joining the EU.
