Ukraine starts ‘historic’ EU membership talks amid war with Russia
- The start of negotiations is a significant step for Kyiv, but many technical, legal and political hurdles lie ahead
The European Union opened membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia’s invasion, although a long and tough road still lies ahead before it could join the bloc.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, addressing the meeting in Luxembourg by video link, said the start of the talks was a historic moment and a significant step for both Kyiv and the EU towards “our shared great victory”.
“For our nation, the European Union signifies much more than a physical space,” he said. “It represents values and home.”
The meeting was more about symbolism than the nitty-gritty of negotiations, which will start in earnest only after the EU has screened reams of Ukrainian legislation to assess all the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards.
But by marking the start of talks with Ukraine, and with its neighbour Moldova later in the day, the EU signalled that both countries are on a path away from Russian influence and towards greater integration with the West.
“The future for Ukraine is for the Ukrainians to decide,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, told the meeting.
