German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday ruled out 2027 as the target date for Ukraine's EU accession.
We have told the Americans that "Ukraine's accession on January 1, 2027, is out of the question. It is not possible. All members—including Ukraine—who wish to join the European Union at a later date must meet the Copenhagen criteria," Merz said at a press briefing in Berlin.
The Copenhagen criteria, established in 1993, refer to the essential political, economic, and legislative conditions a country must meet to join the European Union. They require stable democratic institutions, a functioning market economy, and the capacity to adapt to the EU's body of law.
"The processes usually take several years. Ukraine must have the prospect of becoming a member of the European Union, but this is a long-term process," he added.
Merz stressed that right now, Ukraine's priority should focus on the negotiations with the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi, while voicing cautious optimism on a likely agreement.
Russia and Ukraine held discussions Friday and Saturday on possible peace settlement options with US mediation.
Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the war with Russia began in 2022 and has been pushing for accelerated integration as a security mechanism.
"Ukraine's accession to the European Union is one of the key security guarantees not only for us, but also for all of Europe," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on US social media company X following his recent conversation with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
"That is why we are speaking about a concrete date-2027-and we count on partners' support for our position," he added.
