Ukraine's Foreign Minister reacts to EU's decision to start negotiations: "This is a big day"

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has welcomed the EU Council's decision to approve the negotiation framework for Ukraine and Moldova and to launch accession talks on 25 June.

Source: Kuleba on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Kuleba noted that it was "a big day for Ukraine, Moldova and the European Union".

Quote: "All 27 EU member states have approved the negotiation frameworks, and practical EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next week. We thank the EU Council and the Belgian Presidency for making history," the foreign minister wrote.

Kuleba noted that Ukraine has set a record for the speed of progress from the application for accession to the opening of negotiations, having done so in just two years and without "discounts", fulfilling the requirements and reforms set in the context of the full-scale war.

Quote: "As an EU member, Ukraine will strengthen security and prosperity for all Europeans while also making significant contributions to our shared European defence, foreign policy, green transition, digitalisation, innovation, culture, economic development, and other areas. What happens next is the process of negotiations. It will take time. But we are certain that we will accomplish this path," said Dmytro Kuleba.

This is a big day for Ukraine, Moldova, and the European Union. All 27 EU member states have approved negotiating frameworks, and practical EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next week. We thank @EUCouncil and @EU2024BE for making history.

Ukraine's path to today has not…

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) June 21, 2024

Background:

• On the afternoon of 21 June, the Council of the European Union approved on Friday the negotiation framework for Ukraine and Moldova, and the EU is officially starting preparations for intergovernmental conferences with these states on 25 June, which will launch accession talks.
• The permanent representatives of the EU member states approved the framework for accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on 14 June.
• Hungary, at the level of permanent representatives, blocked the decision, saying that Ukraine had made "insufficient progress on national minorities". But after assurances that its demands would be included in the negotiating framework, it lifted its veto.

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