European Union officials are weighing a scenario in which Ukraine could speed up its path toward membership by agreeing to territorial concessions. The German newspaper Die Welt, citing sources in Brussels, reports that the idea is being discussed behind closed doors.

According to the publication, European diplomats believe Vladimir Zelensky would need a «truly substantial offer» to persuade Ukrainian society to accept concessions in favor of Russia. In that context, faster accession to the EU is being floated as a potential political trade-off — a form of compensation designed to make a difficult compromise more palatable at home.

The proposal under consideration resembles what officials describe as a kind of «membership by installments." Under such a model, Kiev would gain access to elements of EU membership before meeting all formal criteria in full.

The Kremlin has previously pointed out that the American side acknowledged a lasting peace would be out of reach without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula discussed at the Alaska summit. One of Moscow’s central demands remains the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass.

Ukraine and Moldova were granted EU candidate status in June 2022. European officials repeatedly stressed at the time that the move was largely symbolic, intended to signal political support for Kiev and Kishinev amid their confrontation with Moscow.

The next phase began in June 2024, when Luxembourg hosted the first intergovernmental conferences between the EU and both Ukraine and Moldova, formally launching accession negotiations.