Topic: EU accession
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Zelensky invited to Budapest for 70th anniversary of Hungarian Revolution as Ukraine-Hungary ties thaw
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to visit Budapest next week to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution on 23 October, Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in an interview with Euronews. The invitation comes as Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar prepare for their first official bilateral meeting on Friday on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, following Ukraine's 12 October education-law amendments that cleared Hungary to lift its objections to two EU accession clusters.
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EU Commission announces new working group on Ukraine's accession, to be led by Koretsky
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced ahead of the 15 October EU summit in Brussels that the European Commission plans to create a new working group within her services to support Ukraine on its path to EU membership. The working group is to be headed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky. Kos identified financing, military assistance, and sustaining Ukraine's resilience against Russian aggression as three priority areas, and did not specify the group's powers or start date.
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Zelensky and Magyar hold first face-to-face meeting in Brussels, signalling reset in Hungary–Ukraine relations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar met behind closed doors in Brussels on 16 October, on the sidelines of an EU leaders' summit. It was their first official bilateral meeting since Magyar took office. The talks came after Ukraine adopted an education law for national minorities and Hungary lifted its objections to opening two EU accession negotiating clusters for Ukraine.
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EU opens two more clusters for Moldova and Ukraine on the same day
On 13 October, the EU opened the "Internal Market" and "Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth" clusters in Moldova's accession negotiations at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg, bringing Moldova to four of six clusters open. On the same day, the EU Council opened two clusters in Ukraine's negotiations after the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, approved amendments to the education law to lift Hungary's veto.
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Le Pen tells FT she would cut EU budget and end French aid to Kyiv if elected
In an interview with the Financial Times, Marine Le Pen said that if she wins France's 2027 presidential election she would sharply reduce the EU budget and Brussels' powers, withhold French support for EU funding for Ukraine, and halt bilateral French aid to Kyiv outside limited military training and operational support. She also confirmed her opposition to Ukraine's EU membership and called for a "great peace conference" to reach a diplomatic settlement of the war. Le Pen currently leads French presidential polls by a significant margin.
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EU opens two more accession clusters with Ukraine after Kyiv passes minority-language education law
On 13 October, the EU officially opened negotiating clusters 2 (Internal Market) and 3 (Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth) in Ukraine's accession talks at the fourth Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg. The move followed the Verkhovna Rada's approval — by 266 of 450 MPs — and President Zelensky's same-day signing of a law guaranteeing national minorities and indigenous peoples whose languages are official EU languages the right to education in their native language alongside Ukrainian.
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EU enlargement commissioner outlines three priorities for preparing bloc for new members
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on 13 October that the European Union must prepare internally for new members, naming stronger democratic safeguards, more flexible decision-making, and gradual integration of candidate countries before accession as the three priorities. She said candidate countries will join the work of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience before membership, and called for transitional mechanisms to protect European farmers as Ukraine's agriculture integrates into the EU common market.
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Zelensky says Ukraine ready to meet US negotiators in coming days
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to meet with American negotiators in the coming days and that he has conveyed the proposal to US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. In his address he framed the talks as part of ongoing team-level negotiations on paths to peace, voiced Ukraine's support for a US-backed energy ceasefire, and stressed that Russia must also join such an agreement.
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Ukraine's parliament adopts minority-education law demanded by Hungary, clearing path to two more EU accession clusters
On 12 October 2026, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopted and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law expanding educational rights for national minorities and indigenous peoples — the change Hungary had demanded in exchange for unblocking two EU accession negotiation clusters. Hungary's foreign minister confirmed Budapest will agree to opening clusters 2 "Internal Market" and 3 "Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth" at a Ukraine–EU intergovernmental conference planned for 13 October in Luxembourg, where the EU's Coreper had already signalled readiness to approve the negotiation positions.
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Ukraine's finance minister tells Rada country is in liquidity crisis, blames $29.5bn shortfall in partner aid
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told the Verkhovna Rada on 12 October that Ukraine's state budget has fallen roughly 50 billion hryvnia short of planned revenues over nine months of 2026, with 39 billion hryvnia in payments deferred to year's end and capital expenditures blocked. He attributed the squeeze to a $29.5 billion shortfall in expected partner support tied to delayed reforms under IMF, EU and World Bank programs. Marchenko said military pay and social programs remain fully funded, but the Rada must now pass dozens of reform-related bills to unlock the rest.
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Zelensky offers to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stops hitting Ukrainian energy
On 11 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure if Russia reciprocally halts strikes on Ukrainian energy. The offer came the same day U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate 'energy ceasefire.' Zelensky said the U.S. announcement was news to him and that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had received the relevant orders. The same day, Russia struck the TEC-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv, continuing a week in which Zelensky said Russian forces launched roughly 1,450 aerial bombs, 75 missiles and more than 1,640 strike drones at Ukraine.
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EU to allocate roughly €3 billion in extra military aid to Ukraine next week, Zelenskyy says
After a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 11 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the EU will allocate approximately €3 billion in additional military support to Ukraine during the week of 12–18 October, with the funds directed to drones and missiles. The call came just before a Russian Shahed drone hit a power station in Kyiv, and Zelenskyy noted that further strikes on energy infrastructure in the Kharkiv region followed an earlier US statement on an energy-related ceasefire.
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Hungary lifts block, EU approves screening for Ukraine's clusters 2 and 3
On 7 October, Hungary ended a months-long block on Ukraine's progress in EU accession negotiations, with the EU Council's COELA working group approving screening results for clusters 2 ("Internal Market") and 3 ("Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth"). The same day, EU ambassadors at Coreper agreed to send letters to Ukraine and Moldova requesting their negotiating positions, clearing the procedural path toward a possible Intergovernmental Conference on 13 October at which the two clusters could be formally opened.
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Ukraine's second and third EU negotiating clusters could open October 13, Chentsov says
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Allsevyv Chentsov announced that there are agreements with the Hungarian side to open Ukraine's second and third EU accession negotiation clusters on October 13, conditional on the Verkhovna Rada adopting bill No. 16119. The bill addresses the educational rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities whose languages are official EU languages. An intergovernmental conference between Ukraine and Hungary is scheduled for October 13.
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European Commission approves pre-enlargement reform package including special terms for Ukraine's agriculture
On 6 October the European Commission approved a package of proposals to prepare the EU for future enlargement, including the accession of Ukraine. The package moves toward qualified-majority voting in selected areas, introduces stronger safeguards against backsliding on rule-of-law standards, creates a 'gradual integration' track for four leading candidates, and proposes targeted mechanisms specifically for Ukraine's agricultural sector tied to the opening of Cluster 5. Roadmaps for Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania are due on 28 October, with EU leaders expected to discuss the package at the European Council meeting on 15–16 October.
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Ukraine and Germany advance war risk insurance and 'Industrial Ramstein' cooperation in Kyiv talks
Ukrainian Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko met German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche in Kyiv on 4 October 2026. The two ministers focused on an updated war risk insurance mechanism with payouts of up to $10 million and the joint 'Industrial Ramstein' industrial initiative, for which Germany is providing €30 million in start-up financing. Separately, Reiche said she pressed President Volodymyr Zelensky on anti-corruption reforms and the need for measurable results.
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EU Commission proposes permanent post-accession limits on Ukraine's farm exports and CAP subsidies
The European Commission has adopted an enlargement-reform package proposing to significantly restrict Ukraine's access to the EU agricultural market and to Common Agricultural Policy subsidies even after it joins the bloc, citing concerns from Poland, France and Italy about competition from Ukrainian grain and oilseeds. The Commission also plans 'roadmaps' without fixed accession dates for the four most advanced candidates, including Ukraine, and will link EU funding to legal and anti-corruption reforms. Ukraine's agriculture minister said Kyiv is ready for a transition period with a clear end date but cannot accept permanent restrictions.
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EU could open two new accession clusters for Ukraine and Moldova next week, commissioner says
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on 5 October that the EU could open the next two accession-negotiation clusters — 'Internal Market' and 'Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth' — for Ukraine and Moldova as early as next week, at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. The opening is conditional on Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada passing a national-minority education bill demanded by Hungary.
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German Chancellor Merz makes surprise Kyiv visit, announces €1.3+ billion support package and 15 bilateral agreements
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv by special train on 4 October for an unannounced solidarity visit, accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and roughly ten business leaders from the defence and energy sectors. He and President Volodymyr Zelensky honoured fallen Ukrainian defenders at the memorial on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, visited the National Academy of Sciences building hit by a Russian drone on 28 September, and announced a new German support package worth more than €1.3 billion alongside 15 bilateral agreements valued at over €8.5 billion. Merz called on Vladimir Putin to stop the war and announced that Germany, France and the UK would host a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Berlin in winter.
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EU rejects Ukraine's request to front-load 2027 funding, urges reforms to unlock €34 billion in 2026
The European Union has turned down Ukraine's request to receive part of its 2027 financial support early, telling Kyiv instead to complete promised reforms that could unlock about €34 billion still available this year. Ukraine had asked the European Commission to front-load tranches from a €90 billion EU loan agreed in late 2025 to cover an estimated $27 billion defense funding gap. So far in 2026, Ukraine has received only €15.7 billion from the loan, with slow reform implementation cited as a key reason for the delay.