President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Viktor Kovalchuk | Getty Images
Ukraine has moved a step closer to European Union membership after leaders in Brussels agreed to open negotiations with the war-torn country.
In a surprise announcement late Thursday, EU summit chair Charles Michel, who is president of the European Council, said leaders had decided to start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.
“The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,” he said via X, formerly Twitter.
“#EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary level of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and invited the commission to report in March with the aim to such a decision,” he added.
“A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent.”
The agreement comes despite Hungary’s pledge to block this decision at the current two-day EU summit. A handful of other member states, such as Italy, have also raised issues with EU enlargement.
Speaking through X, Zelenskyy responded to Michel saying it was “a victory” for his country and Europe. “A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” he said, according to a Reuters translation.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, called it a bad decision and said via Facebook that his country did not participate in the decision-making process.
— CNBC’s Silvia Amaro contributed to this article.
