Zelensky says two EU accession clusters to open this week as Kyiv lines up talks with UK, Denmark, Lithuania

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 13 October that two more negotiating clusters in Ukraine's European Union accession talks are due to be opened this week, alongside new support packages for the country.

He made the announcement in a video address, with the text posted on his official Telegram channel in Ukrainian and English. He did not say which clusters would open, when exactly, or what the support packages would contain.

Calls and talks lined up

"There will be good decisions in support of Ukraine this week. We are preparing them right now," Zelensky said. He said he remains in contact with partners "who can help us and who are always effective".

According to Zelensky, he planned to speak on 13 October with the prime ministers of Denmark and Lithuania. On 14 October, he said, Ukraine has "important negotiations in the United Kingdom". He gave no details of who would take part or what would be discussed. He added that this week also includes talks with the European Union.

Accession plan

Zelensky said two of the six negotiating clusters were already opened in the summer, and that Ukraine aims to open all six by the end of the year. "That is our plan, and it is our priority," he said.

He described the process as "political and moral support for our people" and "proof that Ukraine's course toward becoming a normal, strong European country is irreversible".

Clusters are the thematic groups into which the EU divides the policy areas, or chapters, that a candidate country must negotiate. Opening a cluster is a formal step in the talks and does not mean accession itself.

Zelensky also said Ukraine is working to secure "full financial support for Ukraine and Ukrainians" and to ensure that its agreements with Europe are fulfilled.

Laws and government decisions

Zelensky thanked lawmakers and government officials, saying this week "we have the necessary decisions – the laws and the government decisions we needed". He did not name the laws or decisions. It was unclear from his remarks whether they are linked to the accession talks, to the support packages, or to both.

Context

On 11 October, Zelensky said after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that a €1.24 billion EU defence tranche had reached Ukraine and that about €3 billion more in military support was due to be allocated the following week, as RealUA reported. It is not clear from his latest statement whether that is part of the "support packages" he mentioned.

Separately, the Centre for Economic Strategy think tank has urged the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, to pass a bill on joining the Single Euro Payments Area, which it links to about $1.4 billion in World Bank and EU funding, RealUA reported. Zelensky did not mention that bill.

The statements are Zelensky's own and have not been independently confirmed by the EU or the governments he named.