Skip entry: The EU will not accept Ukraine in an expedited manner
Bratislava opposes Kiev's immediate admission to the European Union. Ukraine has not fulfilled the requirements for this, the deputy speaker of the Slovak parliament, a member of the ruling Smer party, Tibor Gaspar, told Izvestia. Hungary will continue to oppose Kiev's European integration, the government of the country confirmed. Budapest has blocked the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, as well as the allocation of a loan of €90 billion to Ukraine. In order not to leave her with nothing, Brussels is considering the option of granting partial membership without the right of veto. However, experts are confident that Kiev's accession to the EU is impossible without lifting the state of emergency and holding elections.
Zelensky demanded specific deadlines for the completion of European integration
For the tenth time since the beginning of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (EC), came to Kiev. The head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and representatives of Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Finland, Croatia, Sweden, and Estonia also arrived in the Ukrainian capital on February 24. They expected to bring with them news about the approval of a large loan for €90 billion and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. However, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on February 23, Hungary vetoed both proposals. As a result, the European delegation arrived in Ukraine empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Kiev is demanding to speed up the process of the country's accession to the EU. Earlier, there were reports in the media that Ukraine could join the bloc as early as 2027. European leaders have not officially confirmed this. Vladimir Zelensky uses Ursula von der Leyen's visit to achieve specific deadlines for the completion of European integration.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Antonio Costa at a press conference in Kyiv.
"I want a date. I'm asking for this," Zelensky said in an interview with the British newspaper Financial Times.
Arriving in Kiev, the head of the European Commission admitted that she could not name the exact date of Ukraine's accession to the EU. Ursula von der Leyen limited herself to assurances of support, which "will be provided."
The EU will not accept Ukraine in an expedited manner — Kiev has not fulfilled the requirements for joining the union in full, Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, member of the Smer party Tibor Gaspar told Izvestia.
— Slovakia supports Ukraine's gradual rapprochement with the EU, including financial and technical assistance, but will not promote circumvention of basic conditions such as the fight against corruption, the functioning of the rule of law and the protection of minority rights. Currently, Ukraine has made some progress, but the criteria for possible accession have not yet been fully met," said a Slovak politician from the ruling party.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof at the EU Leaders' summit. October 2025
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said earlier that he supports Kiev's membership in the EU. However, he threatened to reconsider this position if he continued to block the supply of energy resources to the republic. Earlier, Ukraine stopped pumping oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline. Both countries are landlocked, so it is vital for them to keep importing resources along this route.
Ukraine promises to resume deliveries from February 26, although it was supposed to do so on the 20th. Kiev's unwillingness to supply energy resources from the Russian Federation through its territory is another factor that hinders Ukraine's European integration, as some EU countries continue to use Russian fuel.
Budapest remains the main opponent of Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Viktor Orban's government insists on respecting the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. According to the Hungarian authorities, Ukraine's hasty admission to the EU and NATO could lead to a direct clash between Europe and Russia. Last year, it was Hungary that blocked the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, which forced Brussels to start looking for ways to circumvent Budapest's veto. For example, the scenario of depriving the country of the right to vote is being discussed, and the suspension of oil supplies through Ukraine to Hungary is perceived precisely as a tool of blackmail.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks at the spring session of Parliament in Budapest.
Budapest will continue to oppose Ukraine's membership in the EU, despite pressure, the press service of the Government of the republic told Izvestia.
— Ukraine demands that Hungary abandon Russian energy supplies, allocate money to it and support Ukraine's membership in the European Union. The Government will not deviate from its program under any threat and will act in accordance with its constitutional oath. It acts solely in the interests of the Hungarian people and does not yield to the demands of any foreign power," the Hungarian cabinet said.
By the way, the Western European powers are also not in the mood for Ukraine's rapid accession to the EU. For example, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz completely ruled out Kiev joining the bloc in 2027. He recalled that every country wishing to join the European Union must meet the Copenhagen criteria, approved back in the 1990s. They demand that the State observe, in particular, the principles of freedom and respect for human rights, and the rule of law. Corruption remains a serious problem for Ukraine, as Vladimir Zelensky himself admits. French President Emmanuel Macron also promises Ukraine's accession to the "European family" only when "the time comes."
The main supporters of Kiev's European integration remain the Baltic states and Scandinavia. For example, Denmark, together with Lithuania, launched a special program to support Ukraine's integration into the EU. Poland was previously in this camp, but after a series of corruption scandals among the Ukrainian elite, Warsaw has reconsidered its position and now does not insist on Kiev's rapid admission into the community.
What can Brussels offer Kiev instead of membership
Brussels granted Ukraine the status of an EU candidate in 2022. In November 2025, the European Commission published an annual analytical report on Ukraine's progress towards EU membership. It says that Kiev has made progress in implementing "key reforms" by meeting the conditions necessary to launch negotiations on the first (basic principles), second (internal market) and sixth (foreign policy) clusters.
However, there has been little progress on the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Ukraine is also far from Europe in economic terms: in 2025, the budget deficit amounted to 19.5% of GDP, and the level of public debt was 97% of GDP. At the same time, the allowed maximum budget deficit in the EU is 3%, and the level of debt obligations should not exceed 60%.
The probability of Kiev joining the EU in 2027 is minimal, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. In particular, a state of emergency is in effect in Ukraine, which is unlikely to be lifted in the near future. There are also no elections and there is no rule of law, Ivan Loshkarev, associate professor of the Department of Political Theory at MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, emphasized in an interview with Izvestia.
Against this background, a discussion about "partial" membership has unfolded in Brussels. For example, it is proposed to accept countries without granting the right of veto at the initial stage, so that they cannot block the decisions of the bloc. Another limitation is the exclusion mechanism in the case of "democratic regression." Serbia and North Macedonia are interested in the proposal, as both countries have long had candidate status.
— The option of limited membership will help Serbia and North Macedonia to join the EU institutional structure, but at the same time it will make them non-participants of the community. In other words, these countries will be subjects of European regulation, without having sufficient levers to influence this regulation," Daria Moiseeva, Candidate of Political Sciences, chief analyst at ANO Kolaboratoria, said in a comment to Izvestia.
Last year, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine agreed only to full membership in the EU. The Kiev authorities are particularly interested in security guarantees: the deployment of European forces and the financing of the defense sector. However, Brussels is unlikely to be able to agree on such decisions due to the opposition of Hungary and Slovakia. Therefore, most of the EU countries have joined the "coalition of the willing" and intend to provide Ukraine with security guarantees through this structure.
— I am not sure that the European Union will be ready to publicly fix security guarantees. Perhaps it will not go beyond the offer of asylum from one of the European countries for the leadership of Ukraine," Ivan Loshkarev believes.
Political analyst Denis Denisov recalled that the EU was originally created as an economic union, so the issue of military guarantees for Kiev has not yet been officially reflected in the documents of the association. He also considers Ukraine's accession to the union to be an unrealistic scenario.
Russia does not object to Ukraine's membership in the EU. At the same time, the situation may change in the context of the militarization of the European Union, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said earlier. This year, the European Commission announced a plan to rearm the bloc's countries for a total of €800 billion. Moreover, part of these funds should be used to strengthen the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
