“By convening in Ukraine, we will send a clear and united political message that the future of Ukraine lies within the EU,” the message reads.
Plans for the Lviv meeting come as Brussels struggles to deliver on pledges of direct support for Ukraine, with a proposal to back a €140 billion loan using frozen Russian assets still stalled over Belgian objections.
Kyiv secured candidate status as a prospective member of the bloc in 2022 and has carried out wide-ranging economic, judicial and anti-corruption reforms even as Russia’s war rages across the country. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has vowed to block Ukraine’s accession, which requires unanimous support from all EU countries, and is holding up the formal opening of negotiating chapters.
Proposals to change the rules and allow that process to go ahead with just a qualified majority of support have so far failed to find sufficient backing. Instead, two officials told POLITICO, the current plan is to ensure that Ukraine — along with neighboring Moldova — can start working through the next round of reforms without waiting for formal approval, an approach being termed “frontloading.”
That would position Kyiv to move quickly if the impasse is resolved. Orbán faces a tough test next year when Hungarians vote in parliamentary elections to be held no later than April 2026. His governing Fidesz party is trailing in the polls to pro-EU opposition politician Péter Magyar’s TISZA alliance.
“The idea is to do as much as possible without having to wait,” said one of the officials, granted anonymity to speak freely. “Then, when Hungary no longer has a veto, we can move without delays.”
Celebrating a positive report on his country’s reform progress from Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that it will become a full member “in a fair way when Ukraine is standing for itself and when the war is over.”
