Brussels \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
“On Monday, we formally opened the negotiation chapters<\/a> of the first group,” Costa said.<\/span><\/span> “This is a very important step towards the enlargement of the European Union and Ukraine\u2019s full accession to the European Union.” This grand welcome is explained by the desire to show, primarily to Vladimir Putin\u2019s Russia, that while the Russian Federation is not advancing, the West is moving ever further east. \u201cWe now have all 27 Member States united in their support for Ukraine,\u201d and together, with our G7 partners, he insists, \u201cwe have decided to exert greater pressure on Russia\u2019s war economy in order to reduce its ability to continue the war against Ukraine.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n 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,\u201d<\/strong> a hope that serves as a guarantee of the greatest possible support, the very support that Zelensky is calling for: \u201cIt is important to open the remaining five negotiating groups as soon as possible,\u201d<\/strong> he emphasised during a brief press appearance with his two EU partners, whom he thanked: \u201cI am grateful to the leaders for their support and their willingness to work together for the common security of Ukraine.\u201d He then expressed his satisfaction at the overcoming of the EU vetoes: \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing to have unanimity,\u201d he emphasised, in what sounded like a criticism of Viktor Orb\u00e1n, the former Hungarian prime minister who, whilst in office, repeatedly blocked the conclusions on Ukraine by the 27 member states<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And the leaders, on a day that celebrates Zelensky \u2014 with Ukraine closer to Europe and further from Russia \u2014 extend a hand to Kyiv. The Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauseda, even called for opening “all” the negotiation chapters for Ukraine\u2019s accession, “as early as July<\/strong>.” A position on which the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz,<\/strong> is putting the brakes on<\/strong>: \u201cI 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<\/strong>, but the first steps must be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n