Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba warned on Monday of the “devastating consequences” that a lack of consensus among the Twenty-Seven would have on the opening of negotiations for his country’s accession to the EU.
“I cannot imagine, I do not even want to consider talking about the devastating consequences that would occur if the European Council (the 27) failed to take a decision, not only for Ukraine but also for the enlargement” of the EU, declared Mr. Kouleba upon his arrival in Brussels. “We have done our part of the job. We expect the European Union to do its part,” he continued, three days before a crucial summit during which the leaders of the 27 must decide on the launch of Ukraine’s accession negotiations. “You cannot go against the direction of History,” he continued. “Ukraine will become a member of the EU. The only question is whether someone will slow down the process – which will have a cost – or whether we will be able to move forward smoothly.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains inflexible in his opposition to the opening of this process, as well as to the increase in aid to Ukraine.
The European Commission recommended in November the opening of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, as with Moldova, two countries which obtained EU candidate status in June 2022, a few months after the outbreak of war by Moscow. The European executive also proposed allocating 50 billion euros in aid until 2027 to Ukraine, as part of a mid-term review of the EU’s long-term budget.
This article is originally published on rtbf.be
