President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed the composition of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with the European Union on EU membership. Thus, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka became the new head of the Ukrainian delegation.
This is stated in the decree published on the president's website.
Taras Kachka replaced Olga Stefanyshyna in this position, who was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States in August 2025.
The president also updated the delegation and included government representatives and approved those government representatives who participated in the negotiations earlier. Among them are the deputy ministers of economy, development of communities and territories, representatives of the National Bank of Ukraine, and the Office of the President.
On January 30, President Zelenskyy named 2027 as a possible date for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, as the country will be technically ready by then, according to Ukrainian diplomats. This involves opening negotiation clusters to harmonize national legislation with EU legislation. However, according to the president, the EU should find an accelerated format for Ukraine's accession.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Cos responded by saying that many EU member states would like to see Ukraine join the bloc as early as 2027. She said that while the exact date for accession is currently unknown, work is underway to accelerate the country's European integration. At the same time, German Chancellor Merz called such dates “impossible” because meeting the accession requirements usually takes several years.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters that Hungary will continue to block Ukraine's membership in the EU “for another 100 years” and will not allow funds to be allocated to Ukraine from the European Union budget. Hungary is blocking the opening of negotiation clusters on Ukraine's accession to the EU from 2025.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka said in an interview with Suspilny that Ukraine can fulfill all EU requirements by 2027 and will seek common ground with the Hungarian government.