President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 15, 2025. (Florian Gaertner / Photothek / Getty Images)BRUSSELS, Belgium — June 23 marks four years since the EU formally agreed to grant Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia candidate status for future membership, a path that President Volodymyr Zelensky thought the country would be able to progress down rapidly, but which has turned out to be fraught with obstacles.In early 2026, Zelensky was repeating 2027 as a target date for Ukrainian entry to the EU, whereas new Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on June 3 he thinks 10-15 years is the timescale within which Ukraine can finish all the preparatory work, showing significant discrepancies over how quickly Ukraine might yet progress.The Ukrainian public tends to lean more towards Magyar's estimate, according to a new survey published by the EU Neighbors East program, which finds 19% of Ukrainians think Kyiv could join the bloc within five years, but 41% expecting it to take five to 15 years."The promise to Ukrainian society was different" in previous years, said Ivan Nagornyak from the European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK) think tank, during a panel discussion in Brussels.Nagornyak criticized the 2027 mantra as creating hopes which could not be delivered on, saying he would "recommend to Ukraine to maybe start being more realistic about the dynamic of Ukraine's accession."That dynamic has also been going through lots of change.Since 2025, the entire EU accession process has been held back by Magyar's predecessor, Viktor Orban, who vetoed anything that would advance Kyiv's membership prospects.Then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks to the press at the European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 22, 2026. (Ludovic Marin / AFP via Getty Images)However, that did not stop the European Commission from proceeding with work on a technical basis while they waited for the political climate in Hungary to change.In December 2025, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, together with European Integration Minister Taras Kachka, issued a 10-point letter outlining rule of law reforms that need to be passed by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, in order to join the EU.As of June 2026, progress on those reforms is lower than expected, according to two EU officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.