Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to Hungary and Poland not to obstruct Ukraine's path to European Union membership, insisting that accession should be guided by established rules rather than political emotions. Speaking in Dublin at the start of Ireland's six-month presidency of the EU Council, the Ukrainian president declared that his country had fulfilled all conditions required to open the remaining clusters of accession negotiations.
Ukraine has so far opened only one cluster, titled 'Fundamentals,' and is pushing to unlock the other five before the summer parliamentary break. However, the timeline faces serious headwinds after Hungary's new prime minister, Péter Magyar, voiced fresh reservations about Kyiv's accession process, tempering expectations of a rapid breakthrough. At the same time, a decision by Zelenskyy to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) has sharply deteriorated relations with Poland, where the UPA is held responsible for the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II—events Warsaw considers genocide.
Bilateral Strains Threaten Enlargement Momentum
Zelenskyy attempted to ease tensions during his visit to Dublin Castle, where the inaugural ceremony of Ireland's presidency took place. 'From our side, we did everything what the Council, what all the leaders asked us to do. Even with some difficulties with the (Viktor) Orbán government, we did everything,' he said in response to a question from Euronews. 'So I hope that Peter Magyar will support, and I hope that also Poland's government will support. I think it's important (that) when we all have rules, it's not just political emotions.'
The Ukrainian leader acknowledged 'some internal questions' between Ukraine and Poland linked to 'difficulties in our history' but urged both sides to close ranks against Russian expansionism. 'Now we have one aggressor,' he said. 'We are defending the EU, and we have to think about security for our people for the future.' He added that Ukraine is 'ready to find answers,' a remark suggesting a growing willingness to resolve the spiralling dispute over the UPA, which prompted Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip Zelenskyy of Poland's highest honour.
Ireland's Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, standing beside Zelenskyy, stressed that the enlargement debate requires understanding of 'different traditions, culture and language' from a position of 'mutual respect.' He noted that bilateral issues have historically complicated accession processes, citing examples from the Western Balkans. 'It's not the first time that bilateral issues have been problematic for accession. We've had it several times in the Western Balkans, for example,' Martin said. 'Given what has happened in Hungary after the election and so on, it's been a breath of fresh air in terms of the approach to Europe. We hope that follows through in terms of the opening of the clusters.'
Ireland has made EU enlargement a central priority of its six-month presidency, with the issue taking centre stage on the opening day in Dublin. Irish officials say they are mindful of the changing political landscape and plan to pursue the agenda with a pragmatic approach. As things stand, the most realistic objective in Brussels is to open one or perhaps two clusters before the summer break, with the others tackled gradually afterwards.
The stakes are high for Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion for over three years. Zelenskyy argued that his war-weary country deserves to take the next steps, noting that it has done 'everything' needed despite the immense challenges of war. 'It was not simple for us to do all these issues during the war, and I think this is also an important moment that we are saving and defending (...) of course, first of all, Ukraine, yes, but also other countries of Europe,' he said.
Meanwhile, a recent poll found that 60% of Polish citizens oppose Ukraine's entry into the bloc, reflecting growing war fatigue and historical grievances. The UPA is admired in Ukraine for its resistance against the Soviet Union and pursuit of an independent state, but in Poland it is seen as a perpetrator of ethnic cleansing. Zelenskyy's decision to honour the UPA has thus become a flashpoint, threatening to derail the broader accession process.
For more on the security context, see Russia Deploys Faster Jet-Powered Drones to Overwhelm Ukraine's Air Defenses and Ukraine Urges Faster Air Defense Deliveries After Deadly Russian Strike on Kyiv.
