EU praises Zelensky, pledges to press ahead with Ukraine’s accession

Brussels – Support for Ukraine, with a future in the European Union that is no longer merely promised but guaranteed. The summit of EU heads of state and government provides an opportunity to honour the country and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is in Brussels in person for the meeting aimed at accelerating the accession process. The guest is welcomed by the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, for a three-way walk that is more than just a photo opportunity; it is a highly symbolic political image of Ukraine and the European Union walking together.

 “On Monday, we formally opened the negotiation chapters of the first group,” Costa said. “This is a very important step towards the enlargement of the European Union and Ukraine’s full accession to the European Union.” This grand welcome is explained by the desire to show, primarily to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, that while the Russian Federation is not advancing, the West is moving ever further east. “We now have all 27 Member States united in their support for Ukraine,” and together, with our G7 partners, he insists, “we have decided to exert greater pressure on Russia’s war economy in order to reduce its ability to continue the war against Ukraine.” 

Von der Leyen assured that the EU is determined to see this through to the end: “We hope to be able to open further negotiating clusters over the summer,” a hope that serves as a guarantee of the greatest possible support, the very support that Zelensky is calling for: “It is important to open the remaining five negotiating groups as soon as possible,” he emphasised during a brief press appearance with his two EU partners, whom he thanked: “I am grateful to the leaders for their support and their willingness to work together for the common security of Ukraine.” He then expressed his satisfaction at the overcoming of the EU vetoes: “It’s a good thing to have unanimity,” he emphasised, in what sounded like a criticism of Viktor Orbán, the former Hungarian prime minister who, whilst in office, repeatedly blocked the conclusions on Ukraine by the 27 member states. 

And the leaders, on a day that celebrates Zelensky — with Ukraine closer to Europe and further from Russia — extend a hand to Kyiv. The Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauseda, even called for opening “all” the negotiation chapters for Ukraine’s accession, “as early as July.” A position on which the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is putting the brakes on: “I am very pleased that the European Commission has opened the first cluster. These are concrete steps towards the enlargement of the European Union. We all know that it will take time, but the first steps must be taken.”

 Launching the entire accession process, therefore, seems unrealistic, but the possibility of opening a few more negotiation chapters is widely shared around the leaders’ table. The Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), Finland, Bulgaria, and Spain, with Cyprus ready to coordinate: “We are ready to open all the clusters,” said Nicos Christodoulides, the Cypriot President holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU until the end of the month. “If all Member States agree, as the Presidency we are ready to do so,” he reiterates. In other words: if all 27 Member States call for even just a few more negotiation chapters to be opened, the accession process will go ahead regardless.