Following the opening of the Fundamentals cluster on June 15, 2026, and the External Relations cluster on July 14, Ukraine’s path toward EU membership has moved from planned talks to actual negotiations. The latest government reshuffle has also created uncertainty over who will lead the process, with Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s permanent representative to the EU, and Taras Kachka, deputy prime minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, swapping their roles.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Kyiv Post spoke to its diplomatic sources in Brussels to understand what EU clusters are, what the latest government reshuffle means, where Ukraine currently stands, and what could slow the process down. What are EU clusters? In simple terms, an EU accession cluster is a folder. Inside that folder are several policy areas, known as chapters, in which a candidate country must bring its laws, institutions, and state practices closer to EU standards. Clusters are not symbolic prizes, and opening one does not mean that a country is about to join the EU. Rather, it means that the EU has agreed to begin formal negotiations on that group of issues. The candidate country must still pass laws, implement reforms, prove that they work, and convince all EU member states that the required work has actually been completed. The EU accession process is divided into six negotiation clusters. Here’s what they are and what they cover: