Brussels and Kyiv are also looking ahead to the April 2027 French presidential election, in which the far-right National Rally, which has been Kremlin-friendly in the past, is ahead in the polls. The fear is that if Marine Le Pen’s party wins the presidency before Ukraine is offered a place inside the EU, it could block membership for Kyiv.
However, full EU membership for Ukraine before 2027 is off the table, a senior EU official said.
Speaking on Tuesday alongside Zelenskyy and Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that while she understood that “a clear date” is “important” for Zelenskyy, when it comes to the EU, “dates by themselves [without completing reforms] are not possible.”
As Ukraine continues trying to convince member countries that it will meet the criteria to join the EU imminently, talk is also turning to ways for Brussels to update the process to match the current geopolitical moment.
“I have had many meetings where we have been discussing now how we could accelerate the Ukrainian path to the European Union,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told POLITICO, before cautioning: “Without doing the reforms, nothing will be possible.”
But, Kos added: “We have to have a broader discussion with the European Union among the member states about the methodology of the accession process, which is not suitable anymore for the times we are living in. You know this methodology is good for peace, it is good when we have time.”
If the EU fails to adapt, it risks pushing potential EU members toward the Kremlin and its allies, she said.
“If we will not be able to integrate our candidates into the EU shortly, then there is a danger that someone else will be more influential in those countries and using them against us, weaponizing [them],” Kos said.