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16-12-2023
BRUSSELS: European leaders have decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as “a victory” for his country and Europe.
A spokesperson for Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said that agreement was unanimous.
Hungary has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, but did not veto the move.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.
He then distanced himself from his colleagues with a video message on Facebook: “EU membership of Ukraine is a bad decision. Hungary does not want to participate in this bad decision, and therefore stayed away from the decision today.”
Zelensky was delighted by the EU’s announcement: “This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens,” he said on X.
Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They were both given candidate status last June, while Georgia was passed over at the time.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said it was an honor to share the path to EU accession with Ukraine. “We wouldn’t be here today without Ukraine’s brave resistance against Russia’s brutal invasion,” she wrote.
Earlier this year, Moldova warned that Russia was seeking to seize power in Chisinau. Sandu said Moldovans were now feeling Europe’s “warm embrace” and congratulated her compatriots on what she called “an award for all of society, all those who choose democracy and prosperity”.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the EU’s “historic” move to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, calling it a “crucial step toward fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations”.
Talks on joining the European Union can take years, so Thursday’s decision will not guarantee Ukraine membership.
People in Ukraine know that the path to full membership is a long one, but this decision in Brussels will be a boost for morale.
EU candidate countries have to pass a series of reforms to adhere to standards ranging from the rule of law to the economy, although the EU’s executive has already praised Kyiv for completing more than 90% of the steps taken so far on justice and tackling corruption. (Int’l News Desk)
