Zelenskyy on start of EU membership talks: It seemed like a dream in March 2022 – video
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on the official start of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, noting that Ukraine has covered a seemingly insurmountable distance since submitting its membership application in the first few days of the full-scale war.
Source: European Pravda with reference to an address by Zelenskyy
Details: "When we signed the application for EU membership on the fifth day of the full-scale war, many said it was nothing but a dream. But we made this dream a reality," Zelenskyy noted.
He recalled the key events on the journey since submitting the application, namely the decision to approve Ukraine’s candidate status in June 2022 and the political decision by EU leaders to open talks with Ukraine in December 2023.
When we signed the application for EU membership on the fifth day of the full-scale war, many said it was nothing but a dream. But we made this dream a reality. We achieved this, persuaded, and dispelled every doubt. In June 2022, Ukraine's candidate status was approved despite… pic.twitter.com/MnZa1Duynp
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 25, 2024
"Today the negotiations begin. Between these steps there have been thousands of meetings and calls. Conditions Ukraine has fully met…And most importantly, the determination of our nation. The determination that has worked, that has not failed Ukraine and all of Europe, and that proves that all Ukrainians together, all Europeans together are capable of realising even the biggest dreams – capable of winning," Zelenskyy stated.
Background: At about 16:30, the first Intergovernmental Conference on Ukraine’s EU Accession started in Luxembourg, officially launching Ukraine’s EU membership negotiations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, which currently holds the EU Council presidency, listed the key block of reforms on which the pace of the talks’ progress will depend.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel, and a number of leaders of EU member states made speeches to mark the start of the negotiations.
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