The European Union opened two more areas of membership talks with Ukraine on Oct. 13, advancing its bid to join the bloc as Russian strikes disrupt daily life in Kyiv.
Negotiations now cover four of six subject groups, known as clusters. The latest openings concern the EU’s internal market and competitiveness and inclusive growth. Opening a cluster begins negotiations on its requirements; it does not complete them.
The attacks have imposed costs on civilians and the capital’s power supply. In September, U.N. monitors found that civilian casualties occurred in Kyiv on 22 of the month’s 30 days. They said no earlier month of Russia’s full-scale invasion had casualties recorded on as many days. Across Ukraine, the U.N. verified at least 328 civilians killed and 2,105 injured in September.
The U.N. said strikes on Oct. 13 and 14 hit Kyiv’s three main power stations. The city administration reported emergency electricity outages in several districts after the Oct. 14 attack. A separate Oct. 19 airstrike in Kyiv killed one woman and injured three others, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
In an interview published by Euronews on Oct. 19, European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová called Kyiv a “true frontline city.” She said daytime attacks had grown more frequent since late August, while strikes also continued at night. Air raid warnings had interrupted metro service, medical procedures and school lessons, she said.
Mathernová said she believed Ukraine could complete the technical work for accession “by the end of the decade.” That would not establish a membership date. Under EU rules, an accession treaty would still require the European Parliament’s consent, unanimous approval by the Council of the European Union and ratification by all parties.
EU leaders said payments from the €90 billion Ukraine loan for 2026 and 2027 were continuing. They asked the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund to update their assessment of Ukraine’s financial and military needs. The commission plans to include an indicative roadmap for Ukraine in its 2026 enlargement package if reforms continue. Ukraine’s government expects negotiations on the final two clusters to open by the end of 2026.
