Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


EU Votes to Greenlight Accession Negotiations for Ukraine, Moldova

by VOA News

   European Union leaders on Thursday agreed to open membership talks with
   Ukraine and Moldova in a surprise decision during a two-day summit of
   the bloc's 27 member states.

   European Council President Charles Michel praised the decision, calling
   it "a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent."
   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was "a victory for
   Ukraine, a victory for all of Europe."

   The decision comes despite Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
   pledging for weeks to block moving forward with talks on Ukraine.

   Orban abstained from voting, saying he didn't want to take part in a
   "bad decision." He was the lone leader not to approve accession
   negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

   Orban justified his disapproval of allowing further talks with Ukraine
   by saying that Ukraine had not met three conditions, without
   specifying. "So, there is no need to negotiate membership of Ukraine
   now."

   This is set to be the last EU summit of the year, with the next one due
   to take place in March.

   EU leaders said that not voting in favor of Ukraine before the end of
   the year could be seen as a victory for Russian President Vladimir
   Putin. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

   The EU also approved candidacy status for Georgia and said it would
   move forward with a bid from Bosnia-Herzegovina once it meets "the
   necessary degree of compliance" with criteria, according to Michel.

   Some information is from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and
   Reuters.