The countries of the European Union confirmed this Friday at the ministerial level that Accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova will open on Tuesdayannounced the delegation of Belgium, which holds the semiannual rotating presidency of the EU.
The finance ministers of the bloc’s countries formally adopted the negotiating table and thus confirmed a agreement in principle which had been reached a week ago by the permanent representatives of the 27 States in Brussels.
The same sources reported that the talks would take place in Luxembourg.
The EU had granted Ukraine in June 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion, the status of applicant countryin a gesture considered highly symbolic.
The European Commission had announced on June 7 that Ukraine and Moldova all preconditions were met to begin formal negotiations.
The European executive nevertheless demanded that Ukraine take measures to combat corruption and the power of the oligarchs.
The Commission also called for greater consideration of minorities, a measure insistently demanded by Budapest, given the presence of a Hungarian community in Ukraine.
The accession process takes several years of complex negotiations between the aspiring countries and the EU institutions in Brussels, a process that can take up to a decade.
Türkiye began formal accession talks in 2005, and the situation remains deadlocked. Albania was recognized as a candidate country in 2003, and began formal talks in 2009, which have not yet been completed.
Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia are also waiting in line, with growing impatience.
Hungary, which assumes the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1, has already announced that it does not intend to hold more rounds of dialogue with Ukraine in the semester.
The United States announced this Thursday that it decided to stop deliveries to others Patriot and NASAM missile countries so that this weaponry can go to Ukraine with the greatest speed.
“Many of our allies and partners have also taken historic steps, but obviously more is needed and it is needed now,” the White House National Security Council spokesman said in a call with reporters. John Kirby.
Consequently, he added, the US Executive “has made the difficult but necessary decision to reprioritize the short-term plan for military sales deliveries to other countries so that they go to Ukraine instead”.
Ukraine will receive “in the coming weeks, before the end of summer for sure”, those systems that were initially going to go to other countries.
From the Administration of Joe Biden It was noted that they are speaking with the affected nations, whose names were not specified, to evaluate the new delivery times. “We will do our best to minimize that delay as much as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Kirby did state that “this reprioritization will not affect Taiwan and what Taiwan continues to need and receive from the United States for its self-defense.”
Taiwan is bracing for a possible invasion by China, and Israel faced a large-scale missile and drone attack by Iran earlier this year and is waging war against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
(With information from EFE, EP and AFP)
