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Zelenskyy: Ukraine Demands Fixed EU Entry Year—2027 or 2028–to Cement Security Guarantees
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Ukraine wants a clearly defined date for joining the European Union, arguing that EU membership should be treated as a binding security guarantee.
The announcement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with journalists on December 23.
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Referring to that provision in the draft 20-point document, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s position is that EU accession must be fixed to a specific timeline rather than left open-ended.
“We are saying that we want to have a specific date of accession to the European Union, that this is a proper security guarantee, and overall we feel that the United States supports this position,” he said.
Zelenskyy noted that discussions on the timing of Ukraine’s EU membership are still ongoing and have not yet received formal confirmation from Brussels. At present, he said, the issue is being discussed bilaterally between Kyiv and the United States, without an agreed European position. Ukraine is also seeking short-term preferential access to the European market as part of the same framework.
The president stressed that Kyiv views EU membership as an integral part of its broader security framework.
“The Ukrainian logic is that security guarantees—and we consider membership in the European Union to be precisely a security guarantee—even if they enter into force in one year, two years, or three years, are still binding security guarantees,” he said.
Zelenskyy drew a comparison between different types of security arrangements, noting that guarantees provided by the United States would require approval by United States Congress before entering into force. Guarantees from the Coalition of the Willing, he added, would take effect at the moment of signature and, in some countries, after parliamentary ratification.
He said that while the forms of military assistance and constitutional requirements differ among partner states, EU membership represents a long-term and structural guarantee.
“Membership in the European Union is also the acquisition of part of our security guarantees, and therefore we want to set a date,” Zelenskyy said. “For example, 2027 or 2028. There must be some specificity, because without specificity a security guarantee does not look like a real security guarantee.”
Earlier, Germany’s foreign minister said Europe must remain vigilant even if a ceasefire in Ukraine is reached, warning that Russia could use a pause in fighting to regroup and prepare for a future attack on NATO.
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