Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging the European Union to quicken the process for Ukraine to enter the bloc.
He told an EU summit this week that Ukraine “believes that every democratic nation in Europe deserves to be a full member of the EU. And we are working as actively as possible to achieve this.”
“The future of Europe – free, united, of course, in peace – is being decided in our defense. That shows how unique our situation is. I’m grateful to everyone who recognizes this and who takes the necessary steps to show that Europe truly values and supports it.”
The most important such step could be a fast-track … a fast-track path for Ukraine to join the EU,” he remarked, adding that if Ukraine becomes a member, Russia could “lose one of its main reasons for trying to destabilize both Ukraine and Europe.”
Peter Magyar, Hungary’s Prime Minister, does not support an accelerated membership. “Hungary continues to oppose accelerated EU accession. If Ukraine succeeds in closing all 33 accession chapters within the next 10 to 15 years, Hungary will support Ukraine’s accession, subject to a legally binding referendum,” Magyar wrote on X earlier this month.
Hungary has also demanded that the fast-track clause be removed. Magyar wrote this week that “regarding Ukraine’s EU accession process, at my initiative, a clause referring to accelerating accession was removed from the text at the very last moment. It wasn’t easy.”
During their recent summit, G7 leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. “To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agree to increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities,” leaders said in a joint statement. “We are also ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.”
