FT: Tensions between Ukraine and the EU have risen over the pace of accession
Tensions between Ukraine and the European Union have escalated due to differing views on the pace of accession.
According to the Financial Times, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for the country to join the EU sooner.
At the same time, European capitals consider the pace of reforms insufficient for accelerated accession.
The refusal of EU leaders to accelerate Ukraine’s accession process has caused disappointment in Kyiv, and the increasingly Eurosceptic rhetoric of the Zelenskyy administration is undermining efforts to find a compromise, the publication writes.
In recent weeks, France and Germany have proposed a phased process under which Ukraine would receive “symbolic” benefits and gradual access to EU mechanisms in exchange for completing reform milestones. According to officials, this would mean that full membership would be at least ten years away.
Responding last week in Kyiv to journalists’ questions about the Franco-German proposal, Zelenskyy called on the EU to be fair and stated that Ukraine does not need symbolic membership.
According to two senior Ukrainian officials, Zelenskyy instructed his diplomats not to consider or even engage in any discussions with EU governments regarding such proposals, but to speak only of full EU membership. “We won’t even discuss it,” one of the Ukrainian officials told the publication.
During an informal summit in Cyprus in April, several EU leaders tried to temper the Ukrainian president’s expectations, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. “He had to hear some hard truths. It won’t be as easy as he thinks,” said an unnamed official.
However, Zelenskyy is determined to defend his maximalist position, say senior Ukrainian officials. One of them noted that Kyiv believes the EU “will become more realistic over time” and move closer to the Ukrainian position.
Several EU diplomats have stated that they understand the pressure Zelenskyy is under after four years of war and empathize with his frustration. But they emphasize that the enlargement process must remain merit-based, and point out that with the cessation of direct military and financial support from the U.S. and a sense of alienation from the peace process, the EU is now Ukraine’s most important partner.
“We are the only friends he has, so he’d probably be better off keeping his mouth shut,” said an unnamed official.
EU diplomats and officials stated that the country’s reform efforts have weakened, particularly in the critical areas of the rule of law and anti-corruption measures. They also pointed to missed deadlines for implementing legislation that would allow Kyiv to gain broader access to EU energy and industrial goods markets.
Kyiv is also resisting Brussels’ request to raise taxes on businesses as a condition for releasing part of a €90 billion loan, arguing that this would be a burden on the economy.
"Their domestic reforms have stalled. That’s bad, and everyone knows it," said an unnamed source.
Ukraine could signan EU accession treaty as early as 2027.
Magyar has set conditions for Ukraine to begin EU accession negotiations — Bloomberg.
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