Ireland aims to open all of Ukraine's remaining European Union accession negotiating clusters before its presidency of the Council of the EU ends on 31 December, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said in Dublin on Wednesday, 11 November. Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Martin said Ukraine's future lay inside the European Union and that Dublin would do all it could to finish the job before handing over the presidency.

"It is my strong belief that Ukraine's future is within the European Union," Martin said at the start of a joint press conference at Government Buildings. "We have opened three negotiating clusters and will do all that we can to ensure that the remaining two are opened before the end of the presidency."

Four of six clusters already open

Accession talks are organised into six clusters covering 33 chapters of EU law that a candidate country must adopt. Ukraine opened its first cluster, on fundamentals, in June and a sixth cluster, on external relations, in July. Two more clusters, covering the internal market and competitiveness, were opened on 13 October after all 27 member states agreed, following Ukraine's adoption of a minority education law that Hungary had demanded.

That leaves two clusters still to go: Cluster 4, on the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, and Cluster 5, on agriculture, resources and cohesion. Both are sensitive. Agriculture and access for Ukrainian products to the European market remain among the most difficult issues in the talks, and opening the final clusters will require the agreement of every member state.

Martin acknowledged that getting the last two clusters opened before the end of the year would require "persuasion", but said Ireland hoped to use the goodwill in the bloc towards Ukraine to meet the deadline. Zelensky was equally direct: "We are set to open all negotiation clusters this year," he said. "This is a very important achievement."

Funding, sanctions and shelters

The accession pledge was part of a wider package of support discussed at the meeting. Martin said Ireland would work with European partners to secure Ukraine's financing for 2027, which he has previously warned could reach about 70 billion euros despite the EU's 90 billion euro support loan agreed last December. He also highlighted the EU's 21st package of sanctions against Russia and a separate round of restrictive measures targeting nearly 1,600 Russian individuals and entities.

Zelensky also announced that Ireland had agreed to join an international coalition supporting the construction of protective shelters for Ukrainian civilians, an initiative being coordinated with Finland that will be discussed further during this week's meetings in Dublin. The two leaders also explored a joint memorandum on drone technology and co-production, with Martin saying Ireland could use Ukrainian expertise in unmanned drones for maritime security.

Zelensky thanked Ireland for its "unwavering support for our people, for Ukraine, for our defence", and said it was his third visit to Ireland within 12 months. Martin noted that thousands of Ukrainians had made Ireland their home and said the partnership between the two countries had only grown stronger.

A window before 2027

The meeting came a day before around 50 European leaders gather in Dublin for the European Political Community summit, followed on Friday by an informal meeting of the EU Council, both hosted at the Convention Centre on North Wall Quay. Zelensky said there could be a "window of opportunity" to reach a breakthrough in talks to end the war with Russia before 2027, and that he expected to meet US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Dublin after their talks in Moscow.

He said the trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi had included proposals for a prisoner exchange of between 1,000 and 1,200 prisoners of war, and that he expected a reaction from the Russian side to the issues raised. For Kyiv, the accession timetable and the peace talks are now running in parallel: progress on one strengthens its hand on the other, and Ireland's presidency, with seven weeks left to run, is the window in which both must advance.

Sources: Bytes Europe and RTE, via EuropeSays.