• Austria opposes Ukraine's fast-track accession to the European Union, citing concerns about the country's capacity to absorb new members.
• Ukrainian President Zelensky has been criticized for wanting to dictate an accession date to the EU, with calls for all candidate countries, including Ukraine, to follow the same rules and earn their accession through their own efforts.
• The EU has begun accession negotiations with Ukraine, focusing on topics such as the judicial system, protection of fundamental values, and security, with many EU officials not expecting accession before the middle of the next decade.

Austria has spoken out against Ukraine's rapid accession to the European Union, with the country's Minister for European Affairs, Claudia Bauer, criticizing President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"My impression is that the Ukrainian president has, in recent months, frequently drawn attention to himself by wanting to dictate an accession date to the EU," Bauer told the Sunday edition of the Welt newspaper. "A fast-track accession upon request is obviously not possible."

She explained that there is a duty to carefully consider the EU's capacity to absorb new members. "The accession of Ukraine, with its 39 million people and an entirely different agricultural structure, would significantly alter the EU."

She also warned against creating a "two-tier society" as a result of the accession. "All candidate countries, including Ukraine, must follow the same rules and earn their accession through their own efforts," she added.

The EU began accession negotiations with Ukraine in mid-June of this year. The first phase of negotiations will focus on topics such as the judicial system, the protection of fundamental values and security. However, numerous reforms are still required in Ukraine for accession, for example in the fight against corruption.

Earlier this year, Zelensky had called for EU accession as early as 2027, despite widespread scepticism in some European countries.

In Brussels, many EU officials do not expect accession before the middle of the next decade - and certainly not before the end of Russia's war against Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who also considers rapid EU accession out of the question, recently proposed a special status for the transitional period. This could allow Ukraine to participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights.