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| EU to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova | EU to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| European leaders have decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia. | European leaders have decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia. |
| Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as "a victory" for his country and Europe. | Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as "a victory" for his country and Europe. |
| A spokesperson for Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said that agreement was unanimous. | A spokesperson for Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said that agreement was unanimous. |
| Hungary has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, but did not veto the move. | |
| However, Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted a blunt message on Facebook, distancing himself from the other 26 EU leaders: "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." | |
| Mr Zelensky was delighted by the EU's announcement: "This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens," he said on X. | |
| Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They were both given candidate status last June, while Georgia was passed over at the time. | Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They were both given candidate status last June, while Georgia was passed over at the time. |
| Talks on joining the European Union can take years, so Thursday's decision will not guarantee Ukraine membership. People in Ukraine know that the path to full membership is a long one, but this decision in Brussels will be a boost for morale. | |
| Putin tells Russia his war objectives are unchanged | |
| Inside Putin's carefully choreographed phone-in | |
| German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised his fellow leaders for showing a "strong sign of support", adding that it was clear that both Ukraine and Moldova belonged to "the European family". | |
| This was some much-needed good news for Ukraine, after almost 22 months of Russia's war and a continuing struggle to secure Western military and financial aid. | |
| Mr Zelensky travelled to the US earlier this week in a vain attempt to persuade the US Congress to push through $61bn in military funding, blocked by Republican lawmakers. | |
| Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia's occupying force has ground to a halt at the start of winter. | |
| Earlier on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin mocked Ukraine and claimed Western support was running out: "Excuse my vulgarity, but everything is being brought in as a freebie. But those freebies could run out at some point." | |
| But President Zelensky will at least now be able to point to this political win as proof that Ukraine is not steadily being abandoned by its partners. | |
| Many in Kyiv see their fight against Russia's invasion as a defence of European values and they firmly view their future as an active and effective member of the European Union. | |
| Ukraine's 2014 "Revolution of Dignity", toppling its pro-Kremlin president, was rooted in a desire to move away from Russia's political orbit and towards Europe. | |
| President Vladimir Putin reacted by sending troops into eastern Ukraine and Crimea and then staging a far wider invasion in 2022. | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| European Union | European Union |