It is clear to everyone that it is not possible for Ukraine to join the EU immediately, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared on Friday after the two-day summit of the European Council in Cyprus.
Photo: SITA/AP, Petros Karadjias
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit of the European Council in Cyprus on April 23, 2026
However, he spoke out for Ukraine to be more closely integrated into the EU institution, including by possible participation in meetings of the leaders of member states or in meetings in the European Parliament and the European Commission, but in any case without the right to vote.
Ukraine would like to join the European Union as early as 2027. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that his country will be technically ready for that. Progress on accession has long been blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but his defeat in recent elections, according to AFP, has raised hopes that the matter can move a step further.
The leaders of the EU countries generally support the Union opening the first of a total of six negotiating blocs, the so-called clusters. However, the member states are not very willing to speed up the process of accepting Ukraine into their ranks.
According to AFP, this is leading some officials to suggest possible transitional benefits for Kyiv in the meantime. “I also want to enable closer integration into European institutions, for example through participation in European Council meetings without the right to vote,” Merz said after the summit, which was also attended by Zelensky.
Shortly before the European Council meeting in Cyprus, the Ukrainian president insisted that Ukraine does not need some kind of “symbolic EU membership”. “We defend common European values. I believe that we deserve full membership in the EU,” Zelenskyy told journalists. According to Merz, the “pre-accession process” could be a bridge to full membership later.
Ukraine considers EU accession to be crucial for its security and future reconstruction. In addition to it, several other states are trying to join. Of these, Montenegro and Albania are closest to membership.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, who in this position leads the EU leaders’ summits, declared that despite the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine has made really impressive progress in the area of reforms. However, according to him, membership negotiations are long and a very difficult process. “We can’t try to set artificial deadlines – say it will be in three months or in ten years,” he stressed, emphasizing that it should be done as soon as possible.
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