Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his nation is achieving significant progress on its path to European Union membership.
Writing on X on Tuesday, Zelenskyy declared, “The European Commission’s report affirms: Ukraine is confidently progressing towards EU membership and prepared to initiate discussions on Clusters 1, 2, and 6.”
He added, “This represents the most favorable evaluation yet—demonstrating that Ukraine persists in its reform and transformation efforts in line with European standards, even while defending against Russia’s full-scale aggression.”
Ukraine gained EU candidate status in February 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion commenced, following its application for membership.
On Tuesday, the European Commission issued its 2025 Enlargement Package Report, offering an update on how Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Turkey, and Georgia are advancing in fulfilling the requirements for EU membership.
While commending Ukraine for its “remarkable resilience” amidst Russia’s invasion and its “strong commitment” to the EU accession process, the commission also raised concerns regarding the country’s efforts in “ensuring a robust and independent anti-corruption framework.”
In late July, Zelenskyy enacted a contentious bill that critics argued would compromise the autonomy of Ukraine’s principal anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. However, after domestic and international pressure, he signed a new law on July 31, rescinding those changes.
Within its report, the commission urged Ukraine to safeguard the independence of its anti-corruption institutions and broaden NABU’s scope of authority.
A statement from the European Commission noted, “Ukraine has implemented roadmaps concerning the rule of law, public administration, and the operation of democratic institutions, in addition to an action plan for national minorities, all of which received a positive evaluation from the Commission. Ukraine has fulfilled the criteria necessary to commence negotiations on clusters: one (fundamentals), six (external relations), and two (internal market).”
It further stated, “The Commission anticipates Ukraine will satisfy the prerequisites to initiate the remaining three clusters and is working to ensure the Council can advance the opening of all clusters prior to year-end.”
The report also indicated that the Ukrainian government has articulated its aim to provisionally conclude accession negotiations by the close of 2028.
The press release continued by saying, “The Commission is dedicated to supporting this ambitious goal but believes that an acceleration of reforms is necessary to achieve it, especially concerning the fundamentals, particularly the rule of law.”
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s Prime Minister, commented on X that the report reflected the nation’s most positive outcome in three years.
She affirmed, “The trajectory towards EU membership continues to be a paramount priority for our President, Parliament, and Government.”
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has previously hindered Ukraine’s EU accession, stated in October that he has proposed a “strategic agreement” with Kyiv rather than progressing discussions towards full EU membership.
“Full membership is excessive,” Orbán clarified. “We only require a strategic agreement.”