European Union nations have agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine next week, formally launching the process for the war-torn country to join the world's largest trading bloc. The decision was made by ambassadors from the 27 EU member states during a meeting in Brussels on Friday.
The negotiations will officially begin on Monday in Luxembourg, alongside similar talks with Moldova, which Russia has also sought to pull back into its sphere of influence.
Ukraine views EU membership as a crucial security guarantee for a stable future once the war with Russia ends. While NATO membership would be its strongest security assurance, the Trump administration has ruled out that possibility, and other nations oppose Ukraine joining NATO while hostilities continue.
Russia has strongly objected to Ukraine's NATO aspirations, citing them as a reason for its full-scale invasion in 2022, though it has not opposed Ukraine's EU membership.
Countries aspiring to join the EU must complete negotiations across 35 policy areas, or chapters, covering topics from agriculture to trade—a process that can take years. An intergovernmental conference on Monday will open key chapters, grouped into clusters, focusing on the values and principles that underpin the bloc.
EU Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the move in a joint statement, calling it "a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges." They described the decision as "a strategic choice" that strengthens "peace, security and prosperity across our continent" and serves as "a signal that the EU's offer of peace, stability and opportunity is unmatchable."
Ukraine applied for EU membership less than a week after Russia invaded in February 2022. The European Commission has commended Ukraine for implementing reforms during wartime, though concerns about corruption and judicial standards persist.
Last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged EU partners to consider offering Ukraine "associate membership" and to revitalize talks aimed at ending the conflict, which has now lasted more than four years. Other countries, including France and the Netherlands, have suggested alternative pathways to integrate Ukraine more quickly without granting full membership rights.
These developments come as the EU weighs whether to initiate its own negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S.-mediated talks stalled as American attention shifts to the Iran war. Under Merz's proposal, Ukraine would participate in EU meetings without voting rights and would have non-voting "associate members" in the European Commission and European Parliament.
All 27 EU members must agree before each policy chapter can be opened and again for it to be closed. Hungary, which previously blocked the opening of negotiations, has softened its stance following the arrival of a new government in Budapest.