Ukraine moving to full EU accession talks by January

"By the end of this year, all negotiation tracks must be opened — and this is already a political issue, because these are negotiations, obligations, planned work of the parliament, and work of the government. Currently, nearly 4,000 people are involved in negotiation teams across all areas, so this requirement remains in place," said Olha Stefanishyna.

According to her, the only matter still under discussion is the date for opening the first fundamental block of negotiations — the key political decision.

As Deputy Prime Minister Stefanishyna noted, more technical decisions will follow.

"With the Danish presidency (which began on July 1 – ed.), we agreed that this process will be ensured as soon as the first negotiations are launched. By January 1, all clusters will be opened," Stefanishyna assured.

She added that the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states is not required to open negotiations.

"This was the practice in previous years, but today none of the EU's core documents require unanimity for this decision. That's why we are now working in this direction, and the approach voiced by the newly elected Polish leader is entirely logical — this is the point of negotiations, not just a political decision on accession," she added.

Stefanishyna said that Hungary's attempts to block the opening of the clusters have become a "push factor" for seeking alternative paths forward.

"It became clear that neither the Treaty on European Union nor any decisions adopted by the European Parliament or the European Council require a unanimous vote. Unanimity is only required to close negotiations or specific chapters," she explained.

She also emphasized that the negotiations involve discussions across nearly 35 sectors — from specific standards to fundamental state structures of a country seeking EU membership.

"We have fulfilled all the conditions required to open half of our negotiation tracks, starting with the fundamental principles of EU membership. And we are ready to open all three clusters in July, or begin with the first one together with Moldova," Stefanishyna concluded.

Ukraine's EU accession process

Ukraine has not yet officially begun accession negotiations with the European Union, despite EU leaders expressing support for the move back in late 2023.

The launch of the talks continues to be blocked by Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán even organized a public survey to gauge Hungarians' views on Ukraine's EU accession.

Meanwhile, according to Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine aims to fully meet all accession criteria by 2027. The country is currently adhering to its planned timelines.