Despite official commencement of EU membership negotiations with Ukraine in June, the process is far from assured, according to a recent editorial. Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. With NATO membership seemingly unattainable for Ukraine, EU accession has been increasingly presented as a form of security guarantee against further Russian aggression. The editorial challenges the notion that EU membership is automatically granted or solely based on merit. It suggests the push for Ukraine’s membership is, in part, a response to the security vacuum created by the inability to integrate Ukraine into NATO. The situation highlights the complex geopolitical factors influencing Ukraine’s future and the EU’s role in the ongoing conflict.