Politico: EU prepares unprecedented five-step plan for Ukraine's accession to the bloc in 2027

The European Union is developing an "unprecedented" plan that could grant Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as 2027, as Brussels seeks to strengthen Kyiv's position in Europe and distance it from Moscow. This is reported by Politico, citing five unnamed diplomats representing different EU countries, three bloc officials and two Ukrainian officials.

The plan envisages that Ukraine will be given a seat at the EU table before it implements the reforms necessary to obtain full membership privileges.

According to one EU official and two European diplomats, the idea has been unofficially dubbed "reverse enlargement" because it effectively brings countries into the bloc at the beginning of the process of fulfilling membership criteria, rather than at the end.

Politico outlines five steps of a plan that would allow Ukraine to gain partial membership in the bloc in 2027.

Step 1: Prepare Ukraine

The EU is "pre-empting" Ukraine's membership application. This involves providing Kyiv with informal recommendations on clusters – legal steps on the way to membership.

The bloc has already provided Ukraine with detailed information on three of the six negotiation clusters. At an informal meeting of European Affairs Ministers in Cyprus in March, the EU wants to provide the Ukrainian delegation with detailed information on the other three.

But, as Politico's interlocutors said, "there will be no shortcuts to reform.".

"EU membership brings benefits only if it is transformed through the enlargement process – this is the real superpower of EU membership," said one of the bloc's officials.

Step 2: Create a simplified EU membership form

EU governments asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about efforts to break the deadlock on bringing new countries into the bloc at a meeting in Brussels, according to diplomats who participated in the discussion or were briefed on its contents.

According to them, it outlined a number of options and models, including the idea of "reverse expansion.".

"It would be a kind of recalibration of the process – you join and then you are gradually given rights and responsibilities," said an EU official familiar with the discussions.

The idea is not to lower the bar, but to send a politically powerful message to countries whose accession has been delayed by war or resistance from capitals like Budapest – not only Ukraine, but also Moldova and Albania.

Step 3: Wait for Orban to leave

The challenge for Ukraine's membership prospects is to get all 27 member states on board, as any decision to enlarge the bloc requires unanimous support. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is strongly opposed to it.

But the Commission and EU capitals are focused on Hungary's April 2026 elections, and are working on ways to circumvent Orban's veto.

At the same time, none of the officials Politico spoke to believes Orban will change his mind before the election.

Several EU officials have expressed hope that if Orban loses the election, his rival Peter Magyar, the conservative leader of the opposition Tisza party, might change tactics on Ukraine, given that he promised last year to put the issue to a referendum. But if Orban is re-elected, a fourth step will be taken.

Step 4: Play the Trump card

Although Orban's position on Ukraine in the EU seems unwavering, there is one person who European leaders believe could change his mind: US President Donald Trump .

Given that Ukraine's accession to the EU by 2027 is outlined in a 20-point plan to end the war, there is hope that Trump can persuade Budapest to change its position.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted at this hope while speaking to journalists on February 6: "The United States will take responsibility to work with some EU countries politically so that they do not block Ukraine's accession – and whoever signs the peace plan from the European Union will also have to do so.".

Step 5: If all else fails, deprive Hungary of its voting rights

If Trump fails to exert influence, EU should play another card: bring Article 7 of the EU treaty back on the table against Hungary, say two EU diplomats.

Article 7 is applied when a country is considered to be at risk of violating the bloc's core values. This is the most serious political sanction the EU can impose, as it suspends a member's rights, including whether to admit new countries to the bloc.

The EU has no intention of taking such steps so far, believing that it would play into Orban's hands ahead of his April elections. But capitals are gauging support for using this tool if Orban is re-elected and continues to obstruct EU decision-making. Such a move is "absolutely possible," one diplomat said .

• In December 2025, Zelenskyy spoke about the possibility of Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU, but emphasized that some members of the bloc block this for political reasons – not because of whether a particular reform has been implemented in Ukraine. In particular, these are Hungary .
• However, German Chancellor Merz said that Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU is impossible .
• On January 25, 2026, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will be fully ready to join the EU in 2027 .
• On February 6, he stressed that Ukraine needs to have a specific date for accession to the EU in its peace plan, as Moscow may oppose Kyiv's European integration.