- February 10, 2026
- 11:12 pm
- World News
In the European Union, a model is being discussed that recently seemed impossible. Kyiv may receive limited participation in the union’s structures until the full package of reforms is completed. The idea changes the very philosophy of expansion.
It’s not about membership on paper. It’s about political presence, access to procedures, the ability to influence and be inside the process.
What format is proposed in Brussels
According to Politico, European officials are considering an intermediate status. It will allow Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table, participate in discussions, and prepare for full integration without formally closing all requirements.
The logic is pragmatic.
The country receives a signal that the door is not just open β it is invited to enter. And Brussels gains time, reducing the risk of fatigue and disappointment in Ukrainian society.
For European bureaucracy, it is also insurance against a political vacuum.
Where the main obstacle arises
Any decision on expansion requires the consent of all 27 states. And here Viktor Orban appears again.
Budapest does not hide its skepticism. Orban remains the most consistent critic of Ukraine’s accelerated integration and a politician who is regularly called the closest to the Kremlin in Europe.
Therefore, alongside developing the admission formula, alternative paths are being sought.
European institutions are hoping for elections in Hungary in the spring. The scenario of a change in political balance there is discussed openly, albeit cautiously.
But there is another calculation.
The Washington factor
In the peace plan project, where the horizon is 2027, the position of Donald Trump may play an important role. In Brussels, it is not excluded that pressure from the USA could influence the Hungarian leadership.
The calculation is cold, almost arithmetic.
If persuasion does not work β coercion remains.
In the extreme case, expert circles are again discussing the mechanism of limiting the rights of a member state, up to depriving it of its vote. The procedure is heavy, politically toxic, but legally possible.
And the very fact that it is being discussed explains a lot about the moods within the union.
It is at this point that the topic goes far beyond Ukrainian diplomacy. It is about Europe’s ability to make strategic decisions when opposing forces operate within it. The editorial office of NAnews β Israel News | Nikk.Agency notes: the discussion about Kyiv is gradually turning into a discussion about the very structure of European power.
What lies behind the words about a “pause for reforms”
Ukraine has already paid a huge price for the European course. Political, economic, human.
Therefore, the argument about a temporary integration mechanism sounds like an attempt to acknowledge this reality.
But at the same time, it demonstrates the system’s weakness. If promoting a candidate requires finding loopholes, relying on external pressure, or waiting for elections in another country β it means the expansion model is stalling.
In diplomatic circles, this is formulated more gently. They talk about flexibility.
In practice β it is a struggle for manageability.
Why the decision will be a test for the entire continent
The story with Ukrainian participation is turning into a test of political will. Can Europe act as a single center of power, or will every strategic topic be blocked by national vetoes?
The answer depends not only on Kyiv’s fate.
It’s about what the union will be in five years β a geopolitical player or a space of endless agreements.
While Brussels is searching for a formula, the clock keeps ticking.
