The EU moved almost as fast: Senior officials warned Zelenskyy that independent anti-corruption bodies were essential to Ukraine’s EU path and support. In December 2025, the EU and Ukraine issued a joint statement setting out ten reform priorities drawn from Ukraine’s accession criteria, with a focus on the rule of law and anti-corruption measures. This plan was initially conceived as a workaround to Hungary blocking Ukraine’s formal accession negotiations—which has since been partially lifted—but it is also evidence of what the EU considers to be the critical reform areas for Ukraine.