First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko: Ukraine's goal is full membership in the EU
26 November 2025, 10:28
A substantive meeting took place in Kyiv between First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko and Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Partnership (DG ENEST) Gert Jan Koopman.
During the conversation, the Ukrainian side confirmed its strategic priority — full membership in the European Union. Oleksandr Korniienko emphasised the rapid pace of implementation of European integration tasks and the state's readiness to move forward. «Full membership in the EU is Ukraine's goal, which we are working towards,» he stressed.
The parties discussed the legislative steps necessary to adapt Ukrainian legislation to the EU acquis, as well as key areas of reform — anti-corruption policy, the rule of law and changes in the energy sector. The Ukrainian side separately noted the importance of further decisions by the European Commission to advance the negotiation process.
During the meeting, gratitude was expressed for the EU's significant financial support, in particular the recent tranche of €5.9 billion, which comes at a critical moment and demonstrates the European Union's unwavering solidarity with Ukraine.
The issue of sustainable financing for 2026-2027 was discussed separately. The Ukrainian side stressed that the most reliable mechanism should be a reparations loan based on frozen russian sovereign assets, which could provide both budgetary and defence support.
The meeting ended with a confirmation of mutual commitment to further cooperation and preservation of the European Union's leading role in Ukraine's European integration process.
The foreign side was represented at the meeting by: Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union and Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine; Gediminas Navickas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine; Anna Jarosz-Friis, Director of the Ukraine Service of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Partnership; Aron Kerpel-Fronius, Energy Advisor at the EU Delegation to Ukraine; and Elena Visnar-Malinovska, Head of the Interinstitutional Cooperation, Reconstruction Coordination and Assistance Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Partnership.
The Verkhovna Rada was represented by Ukrainian MPs Andriy Herus, Denys Maslov, Dmytro Natalukha, Anastasiia Radina, Yehor Cherniev, Iryna Gerashchenko, Volodymyr Tsabal, Valeriy Gnatenko, and Hryhoriy Mamka.