Zelenskyy on Tuesday said Ukraine aims to join the European Union by 2027. He stressed that any peace agreement should include a clear accession date to ensure security guarantees and prevent obstacles to EU membership.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday stated that Ukraine expects to join the European Union in 2027. He emphasised that a concrete EU accession date should be included in any peace agreement to ensure clear security guarantees and prevent potential obstacles to membership.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with the Presidents of Lithuania and Poland in Vilnius, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
Discussion with Austria on EU accession and energy crisis
According to RBC-Ukraine, Zelenskyy spoke with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker over the phone about Ukraine’s planned EU accession, alongside the ongoing energy crisis caused by repeated Russian attacks.
Energy infrastructure under attack
In a post on X, Zelenskyy detailed the discussion, “During a conversation with Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Stocker, we discussed the energy situation in Ukraine. Russia strikes energy infrastructure every day to leave Ukrainians without electricity and heat, and it is very important that partners respond to this. That is why we highly appreciate Austria’s decision last week to allocate funds to support our energy sector. Thank you! We also discussed other ways to support our energy system.”
Security and EU integration
Zelenskyy also updated the Chancellor on recent trilateral talks in the UAE between Ukrainian, American, and Russian delegations, which focused mainly on military issues and security guarantees.
“Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is one of the key security guarantees not only for us but also for all of Europe. Europe’s collective strength is possible, in particular, thanks to Ukraine’s security, technological, and economic contributions. That is why we are speaking about a concrete date – 2027 – and we count on partners’ support for our position,” Zelenskyy said.
The President invited Chancellor Stocker for in-person talks in Ukraine to continue future dialogues.
Casualties from Russian strikes
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported six fatalities from Russian attacks. France 24 quoted regional authorities saying a Russian drone barrage killed two people and wounded nearly three dozen others in the southern city of Odesa.
In Sloviansk, eastern Donetsk, a couple aged 45 and 48 were killed. In southern Zaporizhzhia, a 58-year-old died at home in a drone strike. Additionally, a 72-year-old was killed in her home in the southern Kherson region due to Russian shelling.
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