By BBC News World
Dec 14, 2023, 10:18 PM EST
“This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens”.
With these words, the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, celebrated the decision of European leaders to start EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, and grant candidate status to Georgia.
The decision was made this Thursday at a summit in Brussels.
A spokesman for Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said: The agreement was unanimous.
Hungary, which has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, did not veto the move.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room during the decision to facilitate the political agreement without having to support it.
Orban made his rejection clear by publishing a forceful message on Facebook: “Ukraine’s membership in the EU It’s a bad decision. “Hungary does not want to participate in this bad decision!”
Zelensky was happy with the EU announcement: “This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens”, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU after Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Both were granted candidate status last June, while Georgia was not considered at the time.
A long process
EU accession talks can take years, so Thursday’s decision does not guarantee Ukraine’s membership.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised his colleagues for showing a “strong sign of support” and added that it is clear that both Ukraine and Moldova belong to “the European family.”
The decision provides Ukrainians with respite after nearly 22 months of war with Russia and an ongoing fight to secure Western military and financial aid.
Zelensky traveled to the United States earlier this week in a vain attempt to persuade the U.S. Congress to approve $61 billion in military funding, blocked by Republican lawmakers.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces was halted at the start of the winter.
Earlier this Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked Ukraine and claimed that western support is drying up.
“Excuse my vulgarity, but everything is being brought as a gift. And those gifts could run out at some point,” she warned.
Click here to read more stories from BBC News World.
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