FT: Ukraine could join EU by 2027 under fast-tracked peace proposal

A proposal under negotiation by US and Ukrainian officials, with Brussels' support, outlines an ambitious plan for Ukraine to join the European Union by January 1, 2027. This timeline, part of a larger peace agreement aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, would radically accelerate the EU accession process and significantly alter the bloc’s traditional approach to admitting new members.

Under the proposal, Ukraine would be fast-tracked through the EU’s typically long and demanding 36-stage accession process, a move that would depart from the EU’s "merit-based" approach to membership. Sources familiar with the draft document told The Financial Times that this fast-track timeline would require the EU to reconsider its existing framework for granting new members access to funding, voting power, and benefits like the Common Agricultural Policy.

Some officials supporting Ukraine’s EU membership argue that embedding it in a peace deal would make the process irreversible, ensuring that Brussels would not block the country's accession, given the political pressure of finalising the peace agreement.

Additionally, US backing for Ukraine's membership could help resolve any opposition from EU members like Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has previously vetoed Ukraine's EU progress. With US influence, Orbán could be urged to lift his objections, allowing Ukraine to move forward with the political approval process.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters in Kyiv, confirmed the importance of the EU membership issue in peace talks.

"The issue of Ukraine’s future EU membership,” he said, “depends largely on the Europeans — and on the Americans too, in fact."

Zelenskyy emphasised that any deal specifying Ukraine’s EU accession timeline would be supported by the US, ensuring that European opponents would not block the process.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and was granted formal candidate status four months later. Meanwhile, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has suggested that new members could be placed on "probation" for several years to mitigate concerns about democratic backsliding.

By Sabina Mammadli