Ukrainian deputy prime minister questions EU’s genuine desire to admit Ukraine

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the country’s trade representative, Taras Kachka, has said that the delay in opening the remaining five negotiating clusters and restrictions on Ukrainian exports raise questions about the European Union’s genuine interest in admitting Ukraine.

This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Kachka, despite carrying out reforms, Kyiv is encountering new trade barriers from the EU.

“In Ukrainian society, the question also arises: does the EU really want us there, or is this about competition,” Kachka said.

To maintain trust between the parties, the European Union must open all negotiating clusters and confirm the seriousness of its intentions regarding Ukraine’s future membership, the official believes.

Kachka stressed that Kyiv continues to fulfill Brussels’ requirements and carry out reforms. In particular, he pointed to parliament’s adoption of laws in the areas of energy, public procurement, taxation of digital platforms, and railway transport reform. The deputy prime minister also separately mentioned the work of the country’s anti-corruption infrastructure, including the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the High Anti-Corruption Court.

In Kachka’s view, the European Union is closing itself off from the rest of the world, and therefore Ukraine needs to join it as quickly as possible.

“We need to take this as seriously as possible, play fewer games, preferably no games at all, and so on. And then we also respond with reforms,” he added.

“We take our reforms seriously, and now we need the same seriousness from the European Union,” Kachka stated.

Previously, the EU abandoned the idea of admitting Ukraine on an accelerated basis. To join the bloc, the country must complete six stages of negotiations, carry out sweeping reforms, and receive the approval of all 27 member states. Membership negotiations were launched on June 15.