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The European Commission is discussing the introduction of a two-stage EU accession model that could allow Ukraine to join the bloc much faster, but with limited powers at the initial stage.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the European Commission is preparing preliminary proposals that would move away from the current EU accession procedure in place since the early 1990s.
Under the new model, Ukraine could obtain formal EU membership without full voting rights at leaders’ summits and ministerial meetings. At the same time, Kyiv would gradually gain access to the EU single market, agricultural subsidies, and development funds after meeting specific milestones following accession.
The Financial Times notes that these discussions are taking place amid the prospect of peace negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Drafts of a 20-point peace plan being prepared with US involvement mention the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU in 2027, although within the European Commission it is estimated that full compliance with membership criteria could require up to ten years of reforms.
In Brussels, officials acknowledge that the prospect of EU membership is a key incentive for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept difficult compromises as part of a potential peace agreement.
At the same time, the idea of a “lighter” or phased accession is causing serious concern among EU member states and candidate countries.
Diplomats fear that a two-stage model could undermine the principle of merit-based enlargement, create different categories of membership, and generate tensions with candidates such as Montenegro and Albania, which are further advanced in accession talks.
Ukraine’s EU accession
It should be recalled that in early November last year, the European Commission published its Enlargement Package report, in which it highly praised Ukraine’s reform progress, giving it one of the strongest assessments.
Meanwhile, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the European Commission is working to open negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s and Moldova’s EU accession by the end of November 2025.
It is worth noting that the sole reason the clusters have not yet been opened is the position of pro-Russian Hungary, which is blocking Ukraine’s EU accession.
The European Commission expects accession negotiations with Ukraine to continue at the working-group level despite the lack of unanimous support from all member states. In this context, Hungary’s veto will not affect the overall process.
At the same time, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka said it is entirely realistic for Ukraine to complete EU accession negotiations as early as 2028. According to the European Commission’s assessment, the pace of reforms makes this possible.
In addition, the US peace plan envisages Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU, no later than 2027. Washington is confident it can overcome resistance from Hungary and other countries that may oppose Ukraine’s entry into the bloc.
However, there are challenges. For example, Reuters has reported that the EU believes Ukraine’s accession to the bloc is not feasible by 2027. Ukraine has not yet officially completed even one of the 36 accession stages.
In early December 2025, European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told RBC-Ukraine that the timing of Ukraine’s EU accession depends on the implementation of reforms. At the same time, the Ukrainian government said it intends to complete accession talks by the end of 2028.
More recently, Kachka said that not only the US government but also US financial markets believe the timeline for Ukraine’s EU accession can be significantly accelerated. As a result, 2027 as a potential accession date is becoming increasingly realistic.
