Czech minister on Ukraine's accession to EU: We must always prove to Kyiv that we have not left it alone

Martin Dvořák, Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic, believes that Ukraine and its accession to the European Union will be one of the biggest topics in the EU in the coming years.

Source: Ceske Noviny citing Dvořák in an interview with ČTK

Dvořák says it is difficult to predict whether accession negotiations will begin before the end of the year.

Quote: "The Ukrainians are very positive about their homework and are doing it. Whether they will advance far enough in October to start accession negotiations in December, I can't tell you now," he said, referring to the October deadline when Ukraine has to receive an official assessment of progress in carrying out reforms.

"We must always prove to Ukraine that we have not abandoned it, that it is on the right path, and that if it continues to follow this path, it will achieve the goal it wants," Dvořák added.

He also noted that after Ukraine moved significantly closer to EU membership following the Russian invasion, some Balkan countries worried that their European ambitions were becoming backward.

Dvořák added that even old EU members understand that the Balkans cannot be lost. Like French President Emmanuel Macron, the minister believes that the EU cannot afford to leave the region in a state of instability; otherwise, there could be a big problem.

Background: Radosław Sikorski, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Member of the European Parliament, believes that Ukraine can become a member of the EU by 2030.

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