On 21 October, Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, met in Kyiv with the ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) and the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Ukraine Carlo Formosa, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Martin Harris, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine Gaël Veyssière, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine John Ginkel, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Canada to Ukraine Sean Boyd, Permanent Representative of the German Ambassador to Ukraine Tim Prange, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to Ukraine Yuji Tokita.

The key focus was on Ukraine’s steps towards European integration, the current agenda of transformations within the framework of the country’s movement towards the EU, as well as Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and strengthening of the country’s defence capabilities.

“Ukraine has officially started negotiations on accession to the EU and is actively participating in bilateral meetings within the framework of the screening process. By the end of the year, we have to present a roadmap for transformations in the rule of law, public administration reform and the functioning of democratic institutions. For us, this is much more than just a part of the EU accession process. This is a set of strategic steps that we must formulate as a country and present to our key partners who invest in our stability and security,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The participants discussed the agenda of upcoming steps in the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and the challenges on this path, particularly in the context of opening the negotiating chapters. Olha Stefanishyna emphasised that by the end of 2025, Ukraine would be able to open as many chapters as possible and move as quickly as possible.

“We have managed to focus our efforts on building a strong internal administrative capacity to ensure that the EU accession process is smooth, dynamic and does not lose quality. We expect 2025 to be a key year when Ukraine will be able to accelerate the accession process,” she stressed.

Special attention was paid to the Victory Plan presented by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week in the Parliament.

“For me, this document is a certain impetus for growing up, understanding that we are at a crucial moment, and everything we do to win at this particular moment is our own responsibility. One of the key elements, apart from the military, is the invitation to Ukraine to join NATO. It is important that this political decision is linked to very concrete steps to support Ukraine’s defence capability,” explained Olha Stefanishyna.

The parties paid special attention to the reform agenda, such as strengthening the institutional capacity of the judiciary and supporting the efforts of anti-corruption bodies.

In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the Government was working closely with the Parliament to adopt the necessary decisions as soon as possible, with the rule of law and the fight against corruption at the centre of all efforts to transform the country. Thus, Ukraine continues its comprehensive, systematic work to improve the efficiency of the judiciary and the capacity of the relevant specialised anti-corruption institutions, and work is underway to strengthen the capacity of the High Anti-Corruption Court.

The G7 ambassadors welcomed Ukraine’s efforts aimed at internal transformations and expressed support for its aspirations to become a member of the EU and NATO. They also assured of further support for Ukraine in countering russian aggression.