In European capitals, officials are discussing an initiative attributed to Donald Trump that would envisage territorial concessions by Ukraine in the Donbas in exchange for accelerated accession to the European Union. This is reported by the German newspaper Die Welt.
According to the paper, the logic of the proposal is that after Russia’s large-scale seizure of the resource-rich Donbas, Kyiv should be granted EU membership and security guarantees. At the same time, Die Welt reports, Trump is increasing pressure on the Ukrainian authorities and pushing for a decision on a compressed timeline—ideally by July 4, the date marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. That would allow him to present himself as a peacemaker and reap favorable political dividends ahead of the congressional elections in the fall.
Die Welt describes the scheme as “territory lost in exchange for EU accession and security guarantees” and asks whether European states are prepared to accept such a formula for ending the war in Ukraine.
Sources in Brussels diplomatic circles told the newspaper that Volodymyr Zelensky would “need a real trump card” if he sought to persuade Ukrainian society to accept territorial concessions to Russia. In that context, they say, the European Union could consider fast-tracking Ukraine’s admission.
At the same time, the newspaper writes, EU officials understand that if Ukraine is denied swift accession, the very prospect of a peace agreement could be jeopardized, forcing Europe to take this scenario into account.
At the same time, European diplomats are skeptical about the 2027 date outlined in Trump’s plan. In Brussels, there is no expectation that Ukraine could realistically become an EU member as early as next year. More plausible timelines are measured in several years—no later than 2028, 2029, or 2030.
In examining possible integration mechanisms, Die Welt refers to the concept of so-called “membership by installments.” Under this model, Ukraine and Moldova would formally receive EU member status but would remain outside the bloc’s single market and common agricultural policy for many years.
A central element for Kyiv under such a scenario would be the immediate extension to the country of Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union—the mutual defense clause. However, as the newspaper stresses, even the activation of this article does not automatically oblige EU states to deploy their troops to Ukraine. The specific forms and scale of support would remain at the discretion of individual countries.
The paper also recalls that European military officials and politicians had previously warned that admitting Ukraine to the EU too early could risk drawing the bloc directly into a war with Russia.