Zelenskyy arrives in Ireland as Kyiv seeks EU boost under Irish presidency
Nation1 July, 05:03 PM
Zelenskyy said he also plans to meet with Irish Prime
Minister Micheál Martin and European Council President António Costa during the
visit.
“Ukraine proves every day that it deserves to be an equal
part of the shared European home,” Zelenskyy said.
He said he hopes Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the
EU will bring significant progress in Ukraine’s accession process and help open
all negotiating clusters.
Ukraine’s EU bid: What to know
Ukraine and Moldova received official EU candidate status in
June 2022. In January 2025, the European Commission recommended starting formal
talks on bringing both countries’ legislation in line with European standards.
On June 15, 2026, all EU countries gave final approval in
Luxembourg to open the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova.
On June 16, media reports said Ukraine could open five new
negotiating clusters with the EU on July 14. European Commissioner Marta Kos
later hinted at the same possibility. The Guardian, citing EU officials,
reported that completing the technical part of negotiations with Ukraine within
four years was feasible.
On June 22, European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen, speaking at a joint news conference with European Council President
António Costa and Moldovan President Maia Sandu, said further momentum in
European integration would depend solely on how strictly each candidate country
meets the criteria set by Brussels.
On June 23, Politico, citing diplomats, reported that
Hungary under Péter Magyar had delayed a key procedural step needed to advance
Ukraine’s and Moldova’s bids, effectively putting the process on hold. Suspilne
later reported that the European Union could open only two of the five planned
clusters in Ukraine’s membership talks in July.
On June 26, the news outlet European Pravda, citing sources,
reported that Hungary had not approved the screening results for clusters 2–6
for Ukraine and Moldova within the EU Council’s Working Party on Enlargement,
known as COELA.