Matter of commencing negotiations with Ukraine regarding EU membership remains unresolved – Ukraine’s Foreign Minister

This was reported by European Pravda.

Kuleba stated that discussions on Ukraine's accession negotiations will persist during the leaders' summit "until the last minute."

"The general mood and general signal is an unprecedented level of support for the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU. At the same time, the decision itself has not yet been made, and the struggle for this decision will continue not only in the coming days but also during the meeting of the European Council. This is already obvious to everyone," he remarked.

While Kuleba acknowledged partners' positive impressions of Ukraine meeting recommendations in a month, he stressed the EU's need to demonstrate commitment and unity.

During the meeting, they explored potential consequences if the EU chooses not to initiate negotiations with Ukraine following the summit's outcome.

Kuleba mentioned EU representatives arguing that deciding in favor of Ukraine benefits the EU itself, and a lack of decision would work against the European Union.

"This decision will still happen. If someone wants it to happen not this week but in a few weeks or months – this is bad, but this decision will still be made because you can't stop the course of history. And history moves very simply: Ukraine will be a member of the EU, it's only a matter of time and price. And our task is to make the price as low as possible and the time as short as possible," Kuleba said.  

Ukraine's accession to the EU

Kyiv applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022, at the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine.

On June 23, 2022, Ukraine was granted candidate status for EU membership.

In May, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine should be ready to join the EU in two years – the country expects to receive a political decision to start accession negotiations this year.

During a speech in parliament on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy proposed five points of the Ukrainian Doctrine for discussion.

According to Espreso's sources, the European Parliament is considering the possibility of starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU this fall.

However, on August 17, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that Ukraine would not be able to implement all 7 EU recommendations by October, as these are changes that have been implemented over the years.

The next day, Maria Mezentseva, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine's Integration with the EU, noted that it is necessary to wait for the October report of the European Commission on the implementation of 7 EU recommendations by Ukraine.

On August 28, European Council President Charles Michel said that the European Union should be ready to accept new member states by 2030. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed support for setting a tentative time frame for new members to join the EU.

On September 8, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin by the end of this year. According to him, clear European perspective will inspire Ukrainians on the battlefield.

On September 21, the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, Davyd Arakhamia, said that the Ukrainian parliament has passed 99.9% of what is needed to start negotiations on EU membership.

Media reports suggested that Ukraine would receive a recommendation to start negotiations on November 8. And on December 14-15, the EU summit will decide whether to start membership talks with Ukraine.

On October 26, Stefanishyna expressed confidence that Ukraine would be able to reach a good political decision on joining the EU in December. On October 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to EU leaders, calling for unity in the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. On October 31, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured that Ukraine would start negotiations on joining the EU this year, barring force majeure. And on November 4, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was not asking for "concessions" on its way to EU membership.

As of early November, the European Commission considered four of the seven criteria for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership to be fully met.

On November 8, the European Commission released a report documenting Ukraine's progress and recommending that the process of negotiating Ukraine's accession to the EU begin.