Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel has stated that Ukraine cannot set a deadline for its admission to the European Union
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, Xavier Bettel, stated on Thursday that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky must avoid issuing “ultimatums” to the EU regarding the nation’s membership.
This came days after the Ukrainian president expressed his expectation for the country to join the bloc by 2027, a component of a US-supported peace agreement.
“I’m sorry, I told him…several times ‘don’t give ultimatums. It’s not in your interest’,” Bettel informed journalists in Brussels.
“The reality is that rules exist, including the Copenhagen criteria, which must be met,” he explained. The ‘Copenhagen criteria’ mandate that a country seeking EU membership must possess stable democratic institutions, a competitive market economy, and must adopt the bloc’s extensive legal framework.
Bettel also voiced unease that while EU membership is being considered as part of a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, the bloc itself is being excluded from the peace negotiations.
“They are around the table and we are not… I think we are waiting outside for the bill without being around the table.”
Zelensky has claimed that Ukraine will be entirely prepared for EU membership by the coming year.
“We want a specific date in our treaty on ending the war,” he stated on Sunday, following a contentious speech in Davos where he mocked the EU for being indecisive and reliant on Washington for its defense.
Reports indicate that Ukraine’s potential EU membership is being negotiated as part of a US-mediated peace agreement, which also features an $800 billion post-war reconstruction plan shared with member states last week.
However, numerous member states have rejected the notion of accelerating Ukraine’s progression from candidate status to full membership.
“Ukraine’s accession on January 1, 2027, is out of the question. It is not possible,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remarked on Wednesday, noting it would take the nation “several years” to satisfy the requirements.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban emphasized that his nation’s parliament would not support accession “in the next hundred years.”
Moscow has stated it does not oppose Ukraine’s pursuit of EU membership. Nonetheless, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized what he called the EU’s evolution into an “aggressive military bloc.”
Ukraine’s goal of joining NATO continues to be a firm boundary for Russia and is considered a fundamental reason for the current conflict.