European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, to map out concrete steps for Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union. The Brussels leader announced this intent in a post she shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, highlighting the purpose of the visit in clear terms.
She stated, and the message was echoed in Kyiv, that the key aim of her trip is to discuss Ukraine’s path toward full EU membership. The dialogue is expected to cover a range of political, economic, and institutional reforms that would align Ukraine with European standards and legal norms. The trip is framed as part of a longer process, with milestones that European partners see as essential on the road to accession.
The discussion of financial support for Ukraine is also on the table. The European side has signaled that allocated funds are meant to bolster Ukraine’s reconstruction and stabilization after conflict, while supporting essential reforms in governance, energy security, and public administration. The goal is to ensure that available resources deliver tangible improvements for citizens and maintain financial stability during a challenging period.
In the morning, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a deputy in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, confirmed von der Leyen’s arrival and noted that she plans to address the Ukrainian parliament during the visit. The timing of her appearance was not announced with precision, allowing lawmakers to plan their schedules around an important moment of engagement with European leadership. The visit underscores the parliamentary dimension of EU-Ukraine relations and signals the importance Kyiv places on direct dialogue with EU representatives.
Later, Olga Stefanishina, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, conveyed that Ukrainian officials anticipate an official recommendation from the European Commission to begin negotiations on EU membership. She described such a recommendation as a positive signal that would reflect Kyiv’s sustained reform efforts and its commitment to aligning with European norms. The response from Brussels is viewed as a potential turning point that could accelerate the roadmap for negotiations and set a clearer timetable for negotiations, if the conditions are met.
Previously, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba commented on how internal reforms and governance improvements within the EU framework influence the expansion of the union. He emphasized that progress in Kyiv’s reform agenda could strengthen the case for closer alignment with European institutions and the broader integration process. His assessment points to the broader principle that reform momentum on the ground influences external decisions about enlargement and partnership within the European family.