The European Council made a historic decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. This news was announced by the chairman of the council, Charles Michel, in his official address on X (formerly Twitter). EU leaders also made a similar decision regarding Moldova and decided to start negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, if the prerequisites are met.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed this decision and called it "a victory for Ukraine and all of Europe." He expressed his belief that this victory "motivates, inspires and gives strength".
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, noted that this decision testifies to the unity and effectiveness of the EU. "We have a window of opportunity, and we either keep it open or, if we close it, we lose those opportunities," she said.
According to preliminary estimates of sources in Brussels, the probability of a positive decision was only 30%, as the position of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was considered an important obstacle. However, despite his reservations, the talks received support.
Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU membership in June 2022. President Zelensky noted that Ukraine fulfilled all recommendations and tried to avoid blocking by other states.
Another key point during the summit was the approval of the 50 billion EU aid package for Ukraine for the next four years. The technical stage of preparation for the negotiations is now starting, and the European Commission will start preparing their technical aspects. The official start of negotiations means that Ukraine has met all the necessary conditions for turning its status as a candidate for EU membership into a practical process.
