Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised Ukraine’s commitment to its accession to the European Union at Euronews’ Enlargement Summit on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his country’s commitment to joining the European Union, telling Euronews’ The Europe Conversation that Kyiv’s future lies within the bloc.
Asked about the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU by 2030, Zelenskyy said during Euronews’ Enlargement Summit that although it may sound like “science fiction,” he would “like to believe that Ukraine will be in the EU before that date.”
The Ukrainian leader went on to caveat expectations, emphasising his desire for the process to be conducted “in a fair way,” and only once Russia’s full-scale invasion has ended.
“I would like that to take place in a fair way when Ukraine is standing for itself and when the war is over.”
Zelenskyy’s comments coincide with the European Commission’s annual enlargement report released on Tuesday. It praised Ukraine’s “remarkable commitment” and progress towards EU accession, while urging the war-torn country to reverse “negative trends,” particularly in the area of corruption.
On Tuesday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the 2030 threshold as a “realistic goal” for EU candidate members, while stressing the need for Ukraine to “sustain the momentum” and avoid “any backsliding.”
Addressing this assessment, Zelenskyy told Euronews that the country was “doing everything possible” to prepare for EU membership, including bolstering anti-corruption measures.
Asked about the prospect of candidate countries joining the bloc initially without full voting rights, an idea being floated among EU officials, the Ukrainian leader made his position clear-cut: “If we speak about EU membership, it has to be fully-fledged.”
“In my opinion, you cannot be a ‘semi’ or ‘demi’ member of the EU,” he said. “Ukraine is fighting for its independence, and our future is in the EU.”
As it stands, the European Commission believes Ukraine has met the prerequisite conditions to open negotiations on three out of six clusters, which must be fulfilled in order for it to be granted EU membership.
But the opening of those talks is being held back by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is vetoing the move.
Zelenskyy qualified Orban’s vetoing of Kyiv’s ambitions to join the EU as an act of “specific support” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president reiterated his commitment to meet the requirements needed to make Ukraine viable for the opening of all the clusters “by the end of the year.”