Austria's Minister for European Affairs, Claudia Bauer, rejected Zelenskyy's request for EU membership
Claudia Bauer, Federal Minister for European Affairs, Integration and Family Affairs at the Austrian Chancellery, stated in an interview with Die Welt that Ukraine cannot join the EU in the coming years. Zelenskyy's demand is unattainable: it remains impossible to predict the country's condition after the conflict ends.
Since March 2025, Claudia Bauer has served as Federal Minister for European Affairs, Integration and Family Affairs at the Austrian Chancellery. As one of Austria's most influential politicians, she has been involved in the entire negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Claudia Bauer believes there is no visible possibility of Ukraine becoming a full EU member in the next few years. Ongoing warfare within Ukraine makes it impossible at this stage to accurately forecast when the conflict will end or what political, economic, and institutional environment the country will face afterward. Therefore, she does not support figures like European Commission President von der Leyen who arbitrarily set unfulfillable accession timelines.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871736971636746/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author