Ukraine
The EU and its member states stand united in their unwavering support for Ukraine. Accession negotiations with Ukraine were formally opened in June 2024. The EU and Ukraine also cooperate within the Eastern Partnership.
Enlargement
EU membership application
On 28 February 2022, Ukraine applied for EU membership.
On 17 June 2022, the European Commission issued its opinion on the application for EU membership.
On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine candidate status. It invited the European Commission to report to the Council on the fulfilment of the conditions specified in the Commission's opinion on the membership application.
Accession negotiations
In November 2023, the European Commission issued a recommendation to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. In December 2023, EU leaders decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and invited the Council to adopt the negotiation framework once the relevant steps set out in the Commission’s report of 8 November 2023 had been taken.
In accordance with the revised enlargement methodology, the Council approved the negotiating framework on 21 June 2024 and, four days later, the EU held the first intergovernmental conference with Ukraine to open accession negotiations with the country.
- Ukraine report (European Commission, 8 November 2023)
- European Council conclusions, 14 and 15 December 2023
- EU opens accession negotiations with Ukraine (press release, 25 June 2024)
Accession conference meetings
Accession negotiations take place at intergovernmental conferences (often called an 'accession conference') between ministers and ambassadors of the EU member states and a candidate. Negotiations cover the body of common rights and law (the 'EU acquis') and are divided into different chapters, or clusters of chapters, covering different policy fields. Accession conferences can be held at either ministerial or deputy level.
On 25 June 2024, the EU held its first intergovernmental conference with Ukraine, formally opening membership negotiations.
At the third EU–Ukraine accession conference, held on 14 July 2026, the parties opened negotiations on cluster 6. This cluster covers two negotiation chapters:
- chapter 30 (external relations)
- chapter 31 (foreign, security and defence policy)
At the previous meeting, held on 15 June 2026, the parties opened negotiations on cluster 1, the 'fundamentals' cluster, covering the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and economic criteria. At that meeting, the EU set interim benchmarks for the cluster and some of its chapters. These benchmarks must be met before negotiations on the cluster can progress.
At European Council meetings prior to the second accession conference, EU leaders repeatedly called on the Council to open the negotiation clusters without delay, starting with the fundamentals cluster, in line with the enlargement methodology and the merit-based approach.
Annual progress review
Every year, the Council takes stock of progress made in each of the EU candidates and partners, including Ukraine, on their European path.
On 16 December 2025, the Danish Council presidency issued conclusions that were politically supported by 26 of the EU member states.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The EU and its member states firmly condemn Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.
The EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people, and will continue to provide political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed. EU measures in support of Ukraine include:
- economic assistance
- military support
- humanitarian aid and civil protection
- welcoming refugees
- investigation and prosecution of war crimes
- protection of children
The EU has adopted an unprecedented number of sanctions in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
The measures are designed to weaken Russia's economic base, depriving it of critical technologies and markets and significantly curtailing its ability to wage war.
Eastern Partnership
Association agreement
The association agreement under the Eastern Partnership is the main tool to bring Ukraine and the EU closer together. It promotes:
- deeper political ties
- stronger economic links
- respect for common values
The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) is the economic part of the agreement. It entered into force on 1 September 2017, but the EU and Ukraine agreed to review it on 30 June 2025.
The upgraded DCFTA entered into force on 29 October 2025. It further enhances trade flows while taking into account the sensitivity of certain EU agricultural sectors, and contributes to the gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU single market by supporting the country in aligning with EU standards.
Association Council
The Association Council is the main body established under the EU-Ukraine association agreement to monitor and supervise the implementation of the agreement.
The 10th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council took place on 9 April 2025. The EU and Ukraine exchanged views on the situation following Russia's war of aggression and touched on wider global and regional issues. They also discussed the implementation of the association agreement since the start of Russia's full scale invasion, the reconstruction of and reforms in Ukraine, and EU financial assistance.
Visa liberalisation
Visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Ukraine entered into force in 2008. A visa dialogue was launched the same year.
On 11 May 2017, the Council adopted a regulation on visa liberalisation for Ukrainian citizens travelling to the EU for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.
Roaming
On 1 January 2026, Ukraine was brought into the EU's 'roam like at home' area. This means that Ukrainians in the EU and EU citizens in Ukraine are now able to make calls, send texts and use mobile data without additional charges.
Before this decision entered into force, a voluntary agreement between EU and Ukrainian telecom operators had been in place since April 2022 to ensure that Europeans and Ukrainians could enjoy affordable, low-cost calls, texts and data.
EU-Ukraine summits
24th EU-Ukraine summit, 3 February 2023
The summit took place in Kyiv and was the first summit since the start of the Russian aggression and since Ukraine became an EU candidate country.
During the summit, EU and Ukraine leaders discussed:
- Ukraine's European path and the accession process
- the EU's response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
- Ukraine's initiatives for just peace and accountability
- cooperation on issues of reconstruction and relief and in the areas of energy and connectivity
- global food security
Last review: 14 July 2026