Zelenskyy says EU could be ‘much stronger’ with Ukraine, UK, Türkiye

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday the EU could become a "much stronger" bloc with the inclusion of Ukraine, Norway, the UK and Türkiye.

Speaking during an interview with Ukraine's national telethon United News, an excerpt of which he shared on US social media company X, Zelenskyy reaffirmed Kyiv's desire to become a member of the EU.

Expressing confidence in Ukraine's accession "if some representatives of the EU do not make mistakes," Zelenskyy said the country is already strengthening the bloc, particularly from a security perspective, adding that security is currently "a priority for everyone."

"A union that could be much stronger-I believe this would be a union of such countries as Norway, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Türkiye. These are four countries that the European Union is lacking," Zelenskyy said.

Stating that the UK previously left the EU and that Norway maintains different forms of cooperation and economic ties with the 27-member bloc, Zelenskyy said he believes these four countries would make the EU the "strongest union in the world, with the best security in the world."

"We are not seeking an alternative. I simply believe that these four countries are very strong and would make the European Union stronger. And even these four countries on their own would certainly form a very strong union," Zelenskyy added.

Kyiv formally applied for EU membership shortly after the start of the Russian war on Ukraine in February 2022 and was granted candidate status later that year.

The European Council decided to open accession talks with Ukraine in December 2023, and the first intergovernmental conference marking the start of accession negotiations was held in June 2024.

Ukraine completed the screening phase of the accession process in September 2025.