Finnish President: Window Of Opportunity For Ukraine’s EU Accession Is Open Right Now

Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes the opportunity for Ukraine to join the European Union is now open. In an interview with European Pravda, he expressed his enthusiasm for the EU, having worked on EU issues since the early 1990s. Stubb advised patience, as the EU works slowly, but emphasized that Ukraine will ultimately become an EU member, stating it would be the best outcome of the ongoing war.

He also suggested that the window of opportunity for Ukraine's EU accession opened due to the current situation in Ukraine, noting that NATO membership discussions would not be happening without the war. Stubb warned that Ukraine's EU membership negotiations would not be easy and reminded Ukraine that joining the EU is not a utopia, but a challenging process.

Currently, Ukraine has two open clusters in its EU accession negotiations - Fundamentals and External Relations - with the timeline for opening the remaining four clusters uncertain, in part due to Hungary's position. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that Lithuania will work to open the remaining negotiation clusters for Ukraine during its presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027, provided Ukraine actively implements reforms.