Ukraine’s EU Membership Would Endanger Europe, Not Secure Peace

A peace proposal backed by Brussels has raised the possibility that Ukraine could become a member of the European Union as early as the beginning of 2027. Responding to a question from Magyar Nemzet, Petra Halko, lead analyst at the XXI Century Institute, spoke bluntly: such a decision would not promote peace and would instead push the European Union in a strategically dangerous direction.

Ukrainian EU membership would not serve peace but would pose a life-threatening risk to the Union (Photo: Suzanne Plunkett)

As previously reported, according to information published by the Financial Times, a Brussels-supported draft peace plan envisions Ukraine potentially joining the European Union on January 1, 2027, provided an agreement is reached to end the war launched by Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: AFP)

Commenting on this, Petra Halko stated unequivocally:

The feasibility of Ukraine joining the EU in early 2027 is highly questionable. More importantly, such a decision would in no way contribute to peace, while posing a strategically life-threatening risk to the European Union.

The lead analyst of the XXI Century Institute also warned that the proposed timeline would be unprecedentedly short even under peaceful circumstances:

“Even in peacetime, this would be an extraordinarily short timeframe—let alone for a country that is currently at war, has unresolved territorial disputes, and whose institutional system, market economy, and human rights practices are not compatible with EU standards.”

From a political standpoint, Halko explained, fast-tracked accession would further deepen existing fault lines within the European Union:

“The EU would be making not only a divisive but an extremely dangerous decision, further intensifying tensions among member states—especially between net contributors and countries that rely heavily on agricultural and cohesion funds.”

⚡️ Ukraine could join the EU by January 1, 2027 under a draft peace plan, – FT.

The Financial Times reports the proposal by European officials would force major EU rule changes, and if backed by the U.S., could let Trump pressure Hungary’s Viktor Orban to drop his veto. pic.twitter.com/18zNjzBEcH

— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) December 12, 2025

She added:

Ukraine would gain significant influence in EU decision-making, potentially outweighing member states that have belonged to the bloc for decades.

On the economic front, Halkó warned of severe consequences:

“Ukraine’s accession would place an enormous burden on the EU budget, while issues of corruption and the rule of law remain unresolved in a transparent manner.”

She also cited concrete figures:

“According to current calculations, the resources of the 2025 EU budget would need to be increased by at least a factor of 12.7 to fully carry out the process. This would mean taking on additional market loans and pushing EU citizens into a spiral of shared debt.”

From a security policy perspective, Halko described accelerated membership as particularly dangerous:

The European Union would, de facto, move closer to—and even be drawn into—the war, while an escalation spiral with Russia could be set in motion.

She concluded by stressing: “The European Union is not institutionally, economically, or militarily prepared to handle such a situation.”

Cover photo: Ukrainian EU membership would not serve peace but would pose a life-threatening risk to the Union (Photo: Suzanne Plunkett).