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https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id14094-eu-states-suggest-ukraine-delay-membership-for-20-years

EU States Suggest Ukraine Delay Membership for 20 Years

Several EU Countries Urge Ukraine to Delay EU Membership

EU States Suggest Ukraine Delay Membership for 20 Years

Several EU states, including Germany and Italy, suggest Ukraine delay its EU membership bid for up to 20 years to allow time for reforms and trust building.

2026-03-16T23:02:02+03:00

2026-03-16T23:02:02+03:00

2026-03-16T23:02:02+03:00

Several European Union countries have suggested that Kiev postpone its bid to join the bloc for another 10 to 20 years. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka said the position is supported by Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland. According to Kachka, some European partners believe the issue of Ukraine’s accession is extremely significant and requires a high level of trust. For that reason, they argue that Kiev should first carry out further reforms and allow time to demonstrate that these changes are stable and effective. In their view, roughly two decades would provide enough time to prove that the country’s institutional and political transformations are working as intended. At the same time, European officials emphasize that this approach does not mean rejecting Ukraine’s future membership, but rather reflects the need to build confidence. Ukrainian authorities, however, consider such timelines unrealistic. Kachka noted that the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing conflict leave Kiev with little room to wait even ten years for EU membership. Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Budapest would not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union while Viktor Orban remains prime minister. He also said Hungary has no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine.

Ukraine EU membership, EU enlargement debate, Germany Hungary Italy Poland Ukraine, Taras Kachka EU accession, Ukraine reforms EU, Viktor Orban Hungary Ukraine EU, European Union expansion

2026

Fred Turner

news

Several EU Countries Urge Ukraine to Delay EU Membership

Defense of Ukraine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fred Turner, Editor

02:02 17-03-2026

Several EU states, including Germany and Italy, suggest Ukraine delay its EU membership bid for up to 20 years to allow time for reforms and trust building.

Several European Union countries have suggested that Kiev postpone its bid to join the bloc for another 10 to 20 years. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka said the position is supported by Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland.

According to Kachka, some European partners believe the issue of Ukraine’s accession is extremely significant and requires a high level of trust. For that reason, they argue that Kiev should first carry out further reforms and allow time to demonstrate that these changes are stable and effective. In their view, roughly two decades would provide enough time to prove that the country’s institutional and political transformations are working as intended. At the same time, European officials emphasize that this approach does not mean rejecting Ukraine’s future membership, but rather reflects the need to build confidence.

Ukrainian authorities, however, consider such timelines unrealistic. Kachka noted that the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing conflict leave Kiev with little room to wait even ten years for EU membership.

Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Budapest would not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union while Viktor Orban remains prime minister. He also said Hungary has no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine.