EU to Open Accession Talks with Ukraine as Hungary Backs Down

All EU member states have agreed to open talks with Ukraine and Moldova on the first cluster of issues in their accession negotiations, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said early on Thursday.

“Fantastic news”, she wrote on X. “We are one step closer to EU membership: steadily moving toward our goal.”

Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said on X that it had begun preparing to formally open negotiations on the first group of chapters, covering the rule of law and democratic standards, with both countries.

“This marks a significant milestone in their European integration path, and sends a strong message of EU unity and determination”, it said.

The presidency said it would work “toward finalizing the discussions” for the formal opening.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said his country and Ukraine had reached an agreement on the rights of the 100,000-strong Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

Magyar had previously said such an agreement was essential if Budapest were to support Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

Both Ukraine and Moldova are seeking membership of the 27-member EU after more than four years of war between Kyiv and Moscow.

(reuters, mja)