---
title: "«War Within Borders»: Slovak President Explains Why Ukraine’s EU Accession Is Currently Impossible"
description: "Slovak President Peter Pellegrini stated that Ukraine’s accession to the EU is impossible while the war continues. He believes that the diplomatic resolution of the conflict is the main condition for integration and opposes any exceptions to the enlargement rules for Kyiv. 🇸🇰🇺🇦"
date: 2026-06-02T14:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/pellegrini-explains-why-ukraines-eu-accession-is-currently-impossible
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# «War Within Borders»: Slovak President Explains Why Ukraine’s EU Accession Is Currently Impossible

![Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and a military official at an official reception with the Slovak flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/02/pellegrini-obyasnil-pochemu-vstuplenie-ukrainy-v-es-nevozmozhno/pellegrini-obyasnil-pochemu-vstuplenie-ukrainy-v-es-nevozmozhno-1.webp)

Questions regarding Ukraine’s European integration and the prospects for expanding the European Union have once again become the subject of sharp high-level discussions. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, in his statement, outlined a firm position: discussing real steps toward Kyiv’s accession to the EU at the current stage is premature. In his opinion, priorities must be set differently.

### Diplomatic Resolution of the Conflict as the Main Condition

Pellegrini emphasized that the only acceptable path to resolving the current situation is the diplomatic conclusion of the war. Only after a just peace has been achieved can substantive discussions on Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership begin. The President of Slovakia believes that the cessation of hostilities must be the basic condition for any further talks on expansion.

«The priority must be the diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Ukraine; this must be the main condition for talks about real steps that would bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union», — stated the head of state.

### Principle of Equality and Rejection of «Special Conditions»

Pellegrini paid special attention to procedural issues. He categorically opposed the creation of exceptions or accelerated accession mechanisms for Ukraine. In his interpretation, war cannot serve as grounds for granting privileges that would upset the balance with other candidate countries.

The President cited Western Balkan states as an example, which have conducted complex reforms for years and undergone a long integration path. According to Pellegrini, changing the rules of the game for one country would send a negative signal to the entire region and provide grounds for accusations of unfairness.

«No country, regardless of the difficult situation it is in, can receive, for example, due to a war, any privileges compared to the countries of the Western Balkans, which have gone through a truly long and difficult path of reforms», — he added.

### Risks of Expansion Amidst War

In discussing prospects, Pellegrini also expressed doubts about the possibility of expanding the EU at the expense of a state in a state of active war. He argued this based on security logic: admitting Ukraine under current conditions would mean transferring the conflict from outside the Union to within its borders.

«I cannot imagine that the European Union should expand at the expense of a country that is currently at war with the Russian Federation, which was attacked by the Russian Federation, but at the same time this would mean that we would transfer the war from outside the European Union to within its borders», — explained the Slovak leader.

Furthermore, he rejected ideas of so-called associated or partial membership. Pellegrini insists that the enlargement procedure has clear rules that all candidates must follow without exception. Slovakia is ready to support Ukraine in the future, but only provided that all requirements are met and without any favoritism at the expense of other countries.

### Brussels’ Reaction

The position of Bratislava fits into the context of recent statements from Brussels. Earlier, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos noted that the current enlargement mechanism needs updating for the effective integration of Ukraine. She confirmed that the EU is considering new formats for the gradual rapprochement of candidate countries, however, basic requirements regarding the rule of law and reforms remain unchanged.