The President of the European Council, António Costa, emphasized the need to start negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union as soon as possible during the European Political Community summit in Yerevan. According to him, supporting Ukraine remains a key priority for the EU, and achieving a fair and lasting peace based on respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity is an integral part of European policy.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Support for Ukraine and EU Priorities
“The European Union will stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary to achieve a sustainable, fair, and lasting peace with respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Secondly, we must advance the process of Ukraine’s accession by opening the first negotiation cluster as soon as possible,” Costa noted.
Costa also highlighted that the summit leaders discussed countering foreign interference in democratic processes, as well as establishing mutually beneficial economic partnerships necessary for regional stability. He noted that lasting peace and security are impossible without strong democratic institutions and developed economic ties with neighboring countries.
Advancing Membership Negotiations and Hungary’s Position
Ukraine, which has had candidate status for EU membership since June 2022, hopes to begin negotiations on all six thematic areas of integration within the next two months. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with António Costa in Yerevan.
The EU accession procedure involves passing through six negotiation clusters that cover 35 chapters of EU legislation. Unanimous support from all EU member states is required to open or close each of them. Currently, Hungary is blocking the official opening of negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine, refusing to consent to the corresponding decision of the EU Council.
President Zelensky emphasized that setting a clear date for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is an important part of security guarantees for the state and potential peaceful settlement with Russia. He warned that in the absence of such a date, the President of the Russian Federation may attempt to disrupt Ukraine’s integration process into the EU.
After winning the parliamentary elections in Hungary, the leader of the “Tisza” party, Péter Madjar, stated that Hungary does not support the accelerated accession of Ukraine to the European Union. According to him, the normalization of relations with Kyiv is only possible if the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine are respected.