Obstacles to Ukraine's Fast EU Accession: Reforms, War, and Historical Disputes

President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that no one will dictate how Ukrainians live, speak, love, or which heroes to honor. Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov echoed this sentiment. However, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz declared that with Bandera, Ukraine will not join the EU, while Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński demanded Ukraine fully abandon its current course. These remarks reflect rising tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw.

EU member states have leverage over candidates, as seen when Greece forced Macedonia to change its name to North Macedonia. But Ukraine is not Macedonia. Full membership is not granted solely for military merits or resilience in war. Reforms are required, yet the annual reform plan has been only 15% completed in half a year. Moreover, membership is impossible while war rages, and there are no signs of de-escalation.

Some influential Ukrainians believe that acting as an armed buffer between the EU and Russia is more convenient than becoming a full member—Ukraine already receives EU funding without the constraints of EU law. Several narratives explain the delay: insufficient reforms and corruption; the war caused by Russia; or Ukraine's refusal to bow and sacrifice its national heroes. The latter is most advantageous for Kyiv, shifting blame to Poland's demands.

This mirrors Aesop's fable of the fox and sour grapes: if accession stalls, Ukraine can claim the EU is undesirable. Euroscepticism may appeal to those who saw European integration as a means to leave Russia's orbit. Now that derussification has been driven by war, full integration seems less urgent, especially if it demands sacrificing heroes. The liberal opposition is marginalized, and many who sought higher living standards have already moved to the EU. Thus, Kyiv might choose to blame Brussels rather than admit domestic shortcomings.