Zelensky: 'I want a specific date' for Ukraine's EU accession

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for any peace agreement ending the war in Ukraine to include a concrete date for the country's EU accession.

In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine "will do everything" to be "technically ready" to join the European Union by 2027 and that the country would achieve at least the main steps towards membership.

"I want a specific date," he wrote. Zelensky warned that if the agreement, to be signed by the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Europe, did not include a specific accession date, Russia would work to block the process - indirectly, through certain European representatives rather than acting alone.

He described EU membership as a security guarantee for Ukraine, emphasizing the need for concrete details with a fixed timeline.

Zelensky had pushed for a 2027 EU accession at the end of January, despite scepticism among some European countries. He said at the time that Ukraine's EU membership would be one of the key security guarantees "not only for us, but also for all of Europe."

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's invasion for nearly four years with support from Western allies.