Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi held a telephone call with European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on August 27 to discuss accelerating Ukraine's accession process and securing critical long-term funding.
Kos said the conversation took place in the morning while Russian strikes were hitting areas near Koretskyi's office. She noted that despite intense military attacks, Ukraine was continuing to advance reforms required for membership in the bloc.
Koretskyi said he discussed progress in the EU accession process with Kos and outlined hopes to open all remaining negotiation clusters by the end of the year. He stated that the Ukrainian government and parliament were working jointly to speed up the consideration and passage of necessary draft laws under European integration commitments and the Ukraine Facility framework.
Long term budget and defense financing
Financing was a key focus of the discussion between the two officials. Koretskyi highlighted that establishing solutions immediately to secure necessary resources for state budget and defense expenditures covering 2026 and 2027 was critically important for Ukraine.
Koretskyi thanked Kos for her consistent support of Ukraine on its path toward European integration. Kos stated that the EU would continue assisting Ukraine with its immediate needs in financing, energy and defense while simultaneously moving the country's membership process forward.
Negotiation clusters and membership timeline
Accession negotiations between candidate countries and the EU are divided into six thematic clusters covering policy areas such as governance, internal market and external relations. Ukraine is currently pushing for further progress, specifically the opening of all remaining clusters.
The EU and Ukraine officially opened the first negotiation cluster, titled Fundamentals, on June 15. That step launched the substantive phase of membership talks after nearly two years of blockage by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
On July 14, the EU opened the sixth cluster, covering External Relations, with both Ukraine and Moldova. While the European Commission supports Ukraine's effort to open all remaining negotiation clusters by the end of the year, agreement among all EU member states has not yet been reached.
