Burc Eruygur
24 June 2026•Update: 24 June 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has submitted an updated bid for membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
In a statement through US social media platform X on Tuesday evening, Zelenskyy said his country’s membership in the OECD is “very important to us” as he met with the organization’s secretary-general, Mathias Cormann, in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
“And today, we are taking a step in this direction – the Prime Minister submitted Ukraine’s official updated application for OECD membership. We hope to receive candidate status as early as this autumn,” Zelenskyy said.
The next stage is a roadmap toward Ukraine’s OECD membership, which was discussed during the meeting, he noted, adding that they also paid special attention to Ukraine’s progress on the path to European integration and the implementation of reforms necessary for rapid progress toward EU membership.
“We also spoke about the implementation of the European Union’s financial support package, the strengthening of sanctions against Russia, and engagement with partners,” Zelenskyy said, expressing gratitude to Cormann and the OECD for their support for Ukraine's path of reforms and toward peace.
Ukraine and the OECD, despite Kyiv not being a member of the organization, have been working together under a four-year country program, which began in June 2023.
The OECD comprises 38 member states, including Türkiye, and seeks to stimulate economic progress and global trade. It adopted its current name in 1961.
Earlier Tuesday, Cormann also held talks in Ukraine with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
