Ukraine, which has been fighting against the Russian invasion for the fifth year, aims to speed up its accession to the 27-nation European Union.
Kyiv’s progress towards membership has been blocked by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but his defeat in elections this month raised hopes that the country could move on to the next step.
EU leaders are broadly in favor of Ukraine moving forward on this path, opening the first of a group of so-called negotiating chapters.
However, there is no apparent desire to speed up Kyiv’s accession process, so some are proposing possible temporary concessions.
“It is clear to everyone that the urgent accession of Ukraine to the EU is, of course, not possible,” said F. Merz after the EU summit in Cyprus, which was attended by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I also want to create conditions for closer integration into European institutions, for example, by participating in EU council meetings without the right to vote,” added F. Merz.
Just before the meeting in Cyprus, Mr. Zelensky did not appear to support plans to give Kyiv some form of lesser status instead of full membership.
He claimed that Kyiv “does not need symbolic EU membership”.
“We defend common European values. I think we deserve full EU membership,” V. Zelenskis told reporters.
Ukraine is determined to keep pace with its bid to join the bloc and fears that any proposed interim solutions will force it to stay halfway for years.
Kyiv sees membership in the bloc as vital to its recovery and future security, as the United States has essentially slammed the country’s door on NATO.
EU diplomats say that due to V. Orban’s open opposition to Ukraine’s membership, other leaders who also do not want to accept this country into the bloc could hide behind him.
Now that he is about to step down, diplomats say others may step out of the shadows and block Ukraine’s bid for membership.
In addition to Ukraine, there are eight other countries that are officially recognized as candidates to join the EU. Montenegro and Albania, widely seen as the closest to membership, have been seeking it for more than a decade.
“Impressive” achievements of Kyiv
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who presides over the EU summits, said that Kyiv’s achievements in the field of reforms, even during the war, are “very impressive”.
But he called the careful membership negotiations “a long and very complicated process.”
“We can’t try to set artificial timelines — say it’s going to happen in three months or 10 years,” he said.
“We have to work very hard and continue to work very hard to make this happen, and as soon as possible,” he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who stood next to A. Costa, said that the decision to admit Ukraine to the EU will ultimately be a “political decision” that EU leaders will have to make.
However, she stressed that if the countries that want to join the EU implement the necessary reforms, they should be brought closer to membership.
“It’s a mutual agreement,” von der Leyen said. “If they implement the reforms, they’ll have some right to go further in the process.”
