The latest draft peace agreement envisages Ukraine's accession to the EU by 2027 - Media

EU accession by January 1, 2027, is stated in the latest draft peace agreement on Ukraine, which is being discussed by US and Ukrainian officials with the support of Brussels. This was reported to the Financial Times by sources familiar with the document's content, UNN reports.

Details

This tight deadline — Kyiv has not yet formally completed any of the 36 complex stages of EU accession — would undermine the bloc's "merit-based" approach to admitting new members and force Brussels to reconsider the entire process, the sources added.

They referred to the existing system of phased access to EU funds, voting rights, and benefits such as the common agricultural policy.

Officials supporting Ukraine's EU membership said that including the membership issue in a peace agreement would make it a fait accompli for Kyiv, as Brussels would feel unable to derail the peace process by opposing the tight deadlines.

The publication notes that US support would also mean that President Donald Trump could order Viktor Orban, who has so far stalled Ukraine's accession process, to lift his veto and allow Kyiv to begin moving through the political approval procedure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Thursday that he and his negotiating team had "adjusted their approach on some points in accordance with the fact that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union in the future."

"The question of Ukraine's future EU membership," Zelenskyy said, "depends largely on Europeans, and in fact, on Americans."

"Because if we agree on an agreement that defines the date of Ukraine's accession to the EU, the Americans, as a party to this agreement, will do everything to ensure that our European path is not blocked by other European countries they influence," he said.

"Therefore, Europeans are really needed in the negotiations, and it's good that they are participating."

Ukraine and the EU have agreed on a 10-point reform plan for accession to the European Union11.12.25, 17:41 • 3894 views

At the same time, Rikard Jozwiak, Europe editor for Radio Free Europe, quotes an EU official regarding Ukraine's possible EU accession by 2027, as envisioned in the draft peace plan: "It suits Ukraine and the US. It costs neither of them anything. But it has nothing to do with reality."

Add

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and was granted official candidate status four months later.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told the Financial Times last month that new EU member states could be placed on a "probationary period" for several years and excluded from the bloc if they deviate from democratic principles, according to a proposal aimed at alleviating concerns about the impact of new entrants.