‘Ukraine Is Carrying Sweeping Reforms Under Russian Bombs’ – Kaja Kallas

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the newly elected US Congress on Wednesday, Nov. 4, to maintain support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia following the Democratic Party’s sweeping victories in the US midterm elections. “US voters have made their choice clear. I hope that the new Congress and the new Senate will continue supporting Ukraine and also putting more pressure on Russia,” Kallas said during a press conference presenting the European Commission’s annual enlargement report in Brussels.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. She stressed that cooperation between Washington and Brussels remained essential to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. “Europe as well as US, we are much stronger together,” Kallas said, expressing hope that joint pressure would force Moscow to end the war. Her remarks came a day after Democrats seized both chambers of the US Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, dealing a major political setback to President Donald Trump’s Republican Party. The election results could reshape Washington’s approach to Ukraine, with Democrats gaining greater influence over government spending, oversight and foreign policy legislation. However, the new Congress will not take office until January 2027, and Trump will retain significant executive authority over US foreign policy. Kallas’s appeal also comes ahead of planned US-mediated negotiations involving Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10–11, as Kyiv continues seeking stronger Western security commitments and additional military assistance. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Removes Two Senior SBU Officials Amid Major Corruption Investigation Two senior Ukrainian security officials removed amid an investigation into a criminal network allegedly protected by corrupt law enforcement officers. Kallas urges EU to accelerate Ukraine’s membership negotiations Beyond her appeal to Washington, Kallas called on European leaders to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession process, urging the bloc to open all remaining negotiating clusters before the end of 2026. “Based on Ukraine’s progress, we should move to open all negotiation clusters before the end of the year,” she said. Kallas praised Ukraine for implementing sweeping reforms while defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion, describing the country’s achievements as unprecedented among EU membership candidates. “Ukraine is carrying sweeping reforms under Russian bombs. No candidate country has ever undertaken reforms of this scale while being in a war. And this deserves recognition.” The European Commission identified Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro as the four leading candidates for EU membership, introducing individual roadmaps outlining their next steps toward accession. “For the first time, we introduce roadmaps for accession negotiations with Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine,” Kallas said. “These four countries are the frontrunners for membership.” Ukraine has already opened four of the six negotiating clusters required under the EU accession framework. As Kyiv Post reported, Kyiv is seeking to open the remaining two clusters before the end of the year following progress in resolving a dispute with Hungary over minority education rights. The outstanding clusters cover the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, as well as resources, agriculture and cohesion. However, further progress requires the approval of EU member states, while the European Commission has warned that Ukraine must accelerate reforms in judicial independence, anti-corruption measures and the rule of law to meet its long-term accession ambitions. ‘Ukraine is Europe’s first line of defense against Russia’ Kallas placed particular emphasis on Ukraine’s contribution to European security, arguing that the country’s military experience makes it an essential partner for the European Union. “Ukraine is Europe’s first line of defence against Russia,” she said. “Kyiv’s battlefield experience is second to none, and it is critical for Europe’s security and defense readiness.” The EU’s top diplomat warned that Europe’s security environment had deteriorated significantly since the previous enlargement report, citing Russia’s continuing war, geopolitical competition and an increase in hybrid attacks and sabotage operations across the continent. “There is little hope for an immediate end to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” Kallas said. She argued that EU enlargement should increasingly be viewed as a strategic investment in Europe’s defense capabilities, economic strength and geopolitical influence. For the first time, the Commission’s annual enlargement assessment includes a dedicated section examining security and defense cooperation with candidate countries. Kallas said Ukraine’s battlefield experience and the contributions of Moldova and Western Balkan countries to European security missions demonstrated that prospective members were already strengthening the bloc. She warned that delaying accession for countries making substantial progress could create further instability. “Where countries that progress are left waiting, instability takes root,” Kallas said. “Enlargement is direct investment in Europe’s security.” Marta Kos warns EU membership requires unanimous support European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos emphasized that Ukraine’s accession process, like those of other candidate countries, remains dependent on the political support of EU member states. “Without their support we can’t move forward,” Kos said. “We can be as much as possible successful in the technical part. We need them for every single step on the way moving forward.” Kos said the bloc had opened or closed 61 negotiating chapters across candidate countries during the year, demonstrating that enlargement could advance when governments supported the process. However, she acknowledged that individual EU members could raise national interests and concerns as accession negotiations moved into more substantive stages. “The debate in the last two, three months has shown that more and more European leaders understand why enlargement today matters, and that it is much more than just enlargement,” she said. Ukraine and the European Commission have also established a joint task force to accelerate reforms and help Kyiv meet the benchmarks required for advancing accession negotiations. Kallas insisted that enlargement would remain merit-based, with democratic standards and the rule of law determining each country’s progress. “Membership is moving closer for countries that deliver,” she said.