European Leaders Agree to Begin Talks on Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union
European leaders have agreed to start talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a “victory,” while the regional group failed to approve a crucial aid package for Kyiv after Hungary blocked it.
Charles Michel, the president of the Council of the European Union, announced on Thursday that they would “open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova” and that they had granted candidate status to Georgia. This was hailed as “a clear sign of hope for its people and for our continent,” by Michel himself.
Zelensky quickly celebrated the news and called it a “victory for Ukraine” and “a victory for all of Europe.” The move is significant, especially since it sends a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, following concerns that the West had lost interest in supporting Kyiv.
However, European leaders were unable to approve a crucial financing agreement for Ukraine after Hungary was the only country to object, according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The agreement is reported to amount to 50 billion euros (US$55 billion).
While the decision was celebrated by many European leaders, there was a note of dissent from Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who suggested that Hungary disagreed with the decision made by the other 26 countries in the 27-member bloc.
Despite the announcement of accession negotiations, there are still fundamental obstacles standing in Ukraine’s way of joining the bloc. Ukraine will still have to meet the conditions of the Copenhagen Criteria before moving to the next phase of negotiations, which could take up to a decade before full accession is granted.
It’s a step forward for Ukraine, but there are significant challenges that still need to be overcome before it can join the European Union.