Today at 01:03
European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union during talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, the European Commission confirmed.
Spokesperson Arianna Podestà told reporters in Brussels that the enlargement issue was indeed discussed:
“Yes, European leaders discussed the possibilities of enlargement with President Trump and President Zelenskyy on Monday in Washington. European leaders, of course, emphasized the relevance of the accession process for Ukraine. This is also important in the context of discussions on security guarantees,” Podestà said.
She declined to comment on reports that President Trump had allegedly asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a phone call about his reasons for blocking negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership, noting that such questions should be addressed to Trump or Orbán directly.
At the same time, Podestà reiterated the Commission’s position that “only Ukraine, as a sovereign state, can decide whether it wants to continue on its path to accession.” Member states, she said, are responsible for determining whether Ukraine has met the necessary steps for joining.
The Commission has already submitted a proposal to the EU Council to begin negotiations with Ukraine on the first accession cluster.
“In our view, it is important that member states allow the opening of these negotiations in the near future. We will continue to discuss this issue with them,” Podestà added.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs security guarantees to work like NATO’s Article 5, noting that EU membership is also viewed in Kyiv as part of these guarantees.
Currently, Hungary remains the only EU member state blocking the opening of Ukraine’s first accession cluster.
