The European Union has made a historic decision to initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, according to Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on Thursday, December 14th.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed this move as a “victory for Ukraine” and “all of Europe.”
Charles Michel stated in an interview with X that the European Council has given a clear signal of hope to the candidate status of Georgia.”
Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU will open negotiations once the necessary degree of compliance with accession criteria is achieved.
The Commission has called for a report by March to make such a decision.
Kyiv had been eagerly awaiting approval from European leaders, but this green light seemed elusive due to Hungary’s stubborn opposition led by Viktor Orban.
However, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced on Thursday that he would abstain from voting during the European Union leaders’ vote, criticizing the “bad decision” in a Facebook video.
He reiterated the nationalist leader’s view that “Ukraine is not ready” but did not exercise his veto right.
The Ukrainian political elite warmly welcomed the European Union’s agreement, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba describing it as a “historic day.”
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal considered it a “recognition of the reforms” carried out in recent years but cautioned that the road to accession would be “challenging.”
