Zelenskyy's push for fast-track EU entry strains relations with partners – media

Persistent efforts by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to achieve rapid EU accession are increasing tensions with European capitals, Financial Times (FT) has reported.

EU diplomats and officials stated that the country’s reform efforts have weakened, particularly in the critical areas of the rule of law and anti-corruption. They also pointed to missed deadlines over the past year for implementing legislation that would grant Kyiv broader access to EU energy and industrial goods markets. Additionally, Kyiv is resisting Brussels’ demand to raise business taxes as a condition for part of a EUR 90 billion loan, arguing it would burden an economy already bearing war-related costs.

"Their domestic reforms have stalled. This is bad, and everyone knows it," one source told the publication.

The refusal of EU leaders to accelerate the accession process has caused frustration in Kyiv, while the increasingly Euroskeptic rhetoric of the Zelenskyy administration undermines efforts to find a compromise. High-ranking Ukrainian officials have used recent meetings with EU and U.S. colleagues to criticize the European Commission’s approach to expansion and insist on accelerating the process.

"Membership is not a gift," said one of the officials, who declined to be identified, revealing private discussions. "Maybe there’s some misunderstanding in Kyiv about that."

"They say: ‘You owe us,’" said a second, according to FT, adding "And that’s not helpful."

Earlier this month, EU leaders greenlit a EUR 90 billion loan for Kyiv to stabilize finances and enable the purchase of more weapons for defense against Russia. The loan was unblocked following the electoral defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had been delaying the funds.

Despite the loan agreement, significant gaps remain. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Kyiv’s hopes for quick accession "unrealistic," adding that the price of any peace deal leading to EU membership "could be that part of Ukraine’s territory will no longer be Ukrainian".

While Zelenskyy demanded an accession date of 2027, EU capitals rejected the idea. France and Germany have recently proposed a phased process where Ukraine would receive "symbolic" benefits in exchange for meeting reform milestones, which officials said would mean at least a decade until full membership. Zelenskyy has reportedly instructed his diplomats not to consider such proposals and to speak exclusively about full membership.

EU diplomats emphasize that the expansion process must remain merit-based, noting that with the cessation of direct military and financial support from the U.S., the EU is now Ukraine’s most important partner.