Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will complete the technical work to open all six negotiation clusters within days and reiterated that the country can be technically ready for membership by 2027.
- Interviews with European diplomats and officials point to resistance in multiple capitals, including France and Germany, to shortening the accession process or setting a firm entry date.
- Diplomats say the European Commission has floated a "reverse enlargement" concept that would allow entry with limited rights before full compliance, but support is scant and gradual sectoral integration is viewed as more realistic.
- Hungary continues to block unanimous approvals needed to open clusters, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also impeded a proposed €90 billion EU aid package for Ukraine.
- Kyiv is pressing to write a fixed date into a 20-point peace plan as a security guarantee, warning Russia could seek to obstruct accession indirectly, while proposing monitoring and transition safeguards to address EU concerns.