EU could open membership negotiations with Ukraine as early as this summer, commissioner says
Photo: EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos (Getty Images)
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has called on European Union member states to officially open all negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the EU by the summer in her post on X.
According to Kos, she appealed to Brussels ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
"Cluster one could be opened still under Cypriot presidency, and for the rest of the five clusters, we hope that we could manage this in July," she said.
The commissioner also said that a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children illegally taken from occupied territories by Russia is taking place in Brussels.
Kos noted that the meeting was organized jointly with Canada and Ukraine. Representatives from nearly 60 countries are taking part.
During the meeting, the parties plan to discuss three key issues: the return of Ukrainian children, support for children and their families after their return, and mechanisms for holding Russia accountable.
"You know, war has really many faces, but stealing the children is really one of the most horrific. We should stop this, and Russia should pay," Kos stated.
Ukraine’s EU accession
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that Ukraine hopes to become a member of the European Union as early as 2027. At the same time, several EU countries have described such a timeline as overly optimistic.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, in particular, said that Ukraine’s rapid accession to the bloc currently appears unlikely.
Brussels, meanwhile, stresses that Kyiv must fulfill all the requirements for full membership. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has outlined a list of key conditions that Ukraine needs to meet.
At the same time, some EU countries remain cautious about further enlargement of the bloc.
