At 35, Ukraine Has No More Time to Fail

At 35 years old, Ukraine finds itself with no more room for error in its fight for survival. As a young democracy emerging from the Soviet system, it has faced numerous challenges, including the need to dismantle oligarchic interests, build institutions, and establish a national identity. However, its current situation is far more critical than any previous phase of its history.

Ukraine is now being offered the greatest geopolitical opportunity of the past 35 years, namely, membership in the European Union. This is an extraordinary achievement, as it was not inevitable for Ukraine to become an EU member state. The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, signed in 2014, promised political association and economic integration, but it did not guarantee accession.

Even visa-free travel, which Ukrainians celebrated as an enormous civilizational achievement, required Ukraine to meet various benchmarks, such as border management, the rule of law, and corruption control, before Brussels lifted short-stay visa requirements. It is important to note that there was no guarantee that Ukraine would ever become an EU member state without Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The EU's decision to grant Ukraine candidate status in June 2022, formally open accession negotiations in June 2024, and open the Fundamentals cluster in June 2026 and the external relations cluster a month later, represents the greatest achievement of the Ukrainian people in their fight for survival.