Ukraine should be technically ready to join EU, NATO immediately after victory - PM

Ukraine's accession to the European Union should be a mandatory precondition for a just peace.

This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who spoke at a panel discussion within the Ukraine 2024. Independence forum, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We have an ambitious goal – we want to be technically ready to join the EU and NATO immediately after our victory. We have a team, negotiation plans, and partner support. All this must be done quickly. We believe that joining the EU should be a mandatory precondition for a just peace. Two and a half years on, we have proven we can tackle barriers that are sometimes insurmountable and achieve goals that are sometimes unattainable," the head of government said.

Shmyhal recalled that screening of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with European law is currently underway. He noted that currently the key goal is to open all negotiation clusters in the first half of next year, when Poland chairs the EU Council.

"We want to move in parallel lines, immediately in all directions, and do our "homework" very quickly, as we did all the previous steps," he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraine is moving toward the opening of the first negotiation chapters with the European Union in early 2025.