According to EU diplomats, Poland and France oppose opening all EU negotiation clusters for Ukraine before the end of June. Kyiv continues to push for that exact timeline as part of its EU accession talks.
Details
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported this on May 12, citing two anonymous diplomatic sources within the European Union. Ukraine aims to open all six negotiation clusters linked to its EU membership process before the end of Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of the European Union in June 2026.
According to the sources, EU member states do not oppose opening the first negotiation cluster before the end of June. The cluster, called “Fundamentals,” covers core issues and serves as the foundation for the entire accession process.
However, Poland and France reportedly want to postpone the remaining five clusters. Their position is to avoid opening them at least until autumn. Meanwhile, Ukraine insists that all six clusters should open as quickly as possible.
Context
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media on May 4 that Ukraine is ready to join the European Union.
“We expect all six negotiation clusters to open during this and next month. Technically, Ukraine is fully ready,” Zelenskyy wrote.
On May 11, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the EU could open the first negotiation cluster for Kyiv before the end of June. She noted that the timeline is tied to the end of Cyprus’ presidency. According to Kos, the EU could later move forward with opening additional clusters as well.
Previously, Viktor Orbán blocked the opening of negotiation clusters for Ukraine. In May 2026, however, Péter Magyar became Hungary’s new prime minister. He has also spoken against fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership bid. The new Hungarian government demands that Ukraine expand the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine.
Ukraine officially received EU candidate status in June 2022. The accession negotiations include six clusters that combine 35 chapters of EU legislation. Every EU member state must unanimously approve the opening or closing of each cluster.
Earlier,The Ukrainian Review reported that the EU prepared a document outlining possible scenarios for activating Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, the bloc’s equivalent of NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause.
