Ukraine aims to open first negotiation cluster with EU as early as May 26 – Sybiha
Ukraine hopes to open the first cluster of EU accession negotiations on May 26, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels involving ministers of EU member states.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Sybiha emphasized Ukraine’s goal to "open the first negotiation cluster as early as May 26, and five others—by the end of the Cypriot Presidency of the EU, as well as Ukraine’s desire to sign the EU accession agreement in 2027."
A diplomatic source confirmed to Interfax-Ukraine that Kyiv is "not just hoping, but actively working" toward opening the first cluster of accession negotiations on May 26.
The website of the Cypriot Presidency notes that an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council involving foreign ministers of EU member states will take place on May 27-28, 2026, in Limassol. The meeting will be held in the "Gymnich" format.
The Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus in the EU will last six months. Starting July 1, Ireland will take over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated before the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on May 11 that the European Union could open the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine before the end of the Cypriot presidency—that is, by the end of June—and subsequently the following ones.