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Euromaidanpress
Euromaidan Press
14 Dec 2023
Olena Mukhina


European Council decides to open EU membership negotiations with Ukraine

European Council President Charles Michel (l) and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Kyiv during the EU-Ukraine Summit, 3 February 2023. Credit: president.gov.ua

The EU member states have decided to start EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, President of the European Council Charles Michel has announced.

“The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

#EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and has invited the commission to report by March with a view to taking such a decision.

A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent,” Michel wrote on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the European Union for the decision, saying that “history is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom.”

“The European Council’s decision to open EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova has been adopted. I thank everyone who worked for this to happen and everyone who helped. I congratulate every Ukrainian on this day.

I also congratulate Moldova and personally Maia Sandu. History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. 

Hungary has consistently been reluctant to initiate talks with Kyiv but did not exercise its veto power. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán briefly exited the room, following a pre-arranged and constructive plan, as the remaining 26 leaders proceeded with the vote, according to BBC.

Later, Orbán distanced himself from other EU leaders 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.”

On 14 December, the Ukrainian leader arrived in Germany for an unannounced visit after a week of foreign trips for Zelensky, including stops in Argentina, the United States, and Norway.

Zelenskyy visits Germany amid EU talks on Ukraine support in Brussels

According to European Pravda, “Zelenskyy wanted to be present in person at the EU summit in Brussels,” where Ukraine’s bid for EU membership and long-term financial support are being discussed.

Ukraine and Moldova submitted their applications for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. In June of the same year, both countries were granted candidate status, while Georgia was not selected for candidacy at that time.

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