This Thursday, at the Brussels summit of the EU’s 27 leaders, the European Union decided to start its membership talks with Ukraine. This news came in as a sign of hope for Ukraine, as the country has been at war for over a year and was struggling to find the necessary backing for its membership aspirations due to opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Although it is believed that the process between opening negotiations and Ukraine finally becoming a member could take many years, people are hailing this move as a first step towards victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the agreement and called it “a victory for Ukraine.” He added that only those who make history don’t get tired of fighting for freedom. European Council President Charles Michel called this decision “a clear signal of hope” for countries and people all around the world.
Ukraine in talks to join EU
European leaders at the summit decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and grant candidate status to Georgia. Both Ukraine and Moldova had applied to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022. They were both at that time given candidate status, while Georgia was passed over at the time.
Countries supporting Ukraine joining EU
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said she finds it an honour to share the path to EU accession with Ukraine. She added that Moldovans could now feel Europe’s “warm embrace” and congratulated her supporters on what she called “an award for all of society and those who choose democracy and prosperity above all. She wrote online that they wouldn’t have been here today without the brave resistance that Ukraine showed against Russia’s brutal invasion. Earlier this year, Moldova issued a warning that Russia was seeking to seize power in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed this move from the EU and called it “historic.” She added that this will open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, which will be a crucial step towards fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The European Council President, Charles Michel, said this was indeed a very powerful signal to assure the people of Ukraine that we are on their side.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised this move by the EU and his fellow leaders for showing a strong sign of support for both Ukraine and Moldova. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo commented that this was a historic moment and an “important message of hope” for Ukraine and Moldova.
People in Ukraine know that the path to full membership is a long one and that talks on joining the European Union alone will not guarantee Ukraine membership in the EU. However, the very decision came as a boost to the morale of the Ukrainian people, who have been at war with Russia for almost 22 months and are continuing to struggle in order to secure Western military and financial aid.
Earlier this week, Mr. Zelensky travelled to the US in a vain attempt to persuade the US Congress to provide him with military funding, which was blocked by Republican lawmakers. Zelensky will now at least be able to point to this political win as proof that Ukraine is not being abandoned by its partners.
Along with this, Ukraine has been praised by the EU’s executive as having completed more than 90% of the steps taken so far, ranging from the rule of law to the economy, to become eligible to become a part of the EU.
Ukraine faces opposition from Hungary in joining EU
However, Ukraine is facing opposition from Hungary on this matter. Orban has repeatedly complained of corruption in Ukraine and demanded a “strategic discussion” on the country’s future in Europe before including it in the EU. This Thursday, when the other 26 countries voted in favour of Ukraine joining the EU, Hungary didn’t join them. However, he did not veto the move.
The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, left the room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders of other countries went ahead with their vote. Afterwards, he distanced himself from his colleagues and posted a video message on Facebook. In that, he called EU membership in Ukraine a bad decision and stated Hungary’s decision to stay away from it. Many lauded this gesture by Orban because he decided to let his right to oppose lapse and let the other 26 countries that were arguing so strongly in favour of Ukraine vote. A mere abstention from him would not interfere with the decision from being adopted.
The Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, commented on this, saying that Prime Minister Orban made his case very strongly by disagreeing with this decision but decided not to use his veto power. He went to say that he respects him for doing that; otherwise, it would have put the other countries in a very difficult position as a European Union.
