Recent news says, Georgia has been granted candidate status by the European Union, and negotiations for European membership with Ukraine and Moldova have begun. The decision was hailed as “a victory” for Europe and Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who announced it at a summit in Brussels.
That agreement was reached unanimously, according to a spokesman for European Council President Charles Michel. Though Hungary did not veto the move, it has long opposed talks beginning with Kyiv.
In a prearranged and constructive manner, according to officials, Prime Minister Viktor Orban briefly left the room while the other 26 leaders carried out the vote.
He then took a public stand against his colleagues on Facebook, posting a video that said, “EU membership of Ukraine is a bad decision.” Hungary refrained from voting today because it does not want to be a part of this poor choice.” The EU’s declaration thrilled Mr. Zelensky, saying, “This is a victory for Ukraine.” Europe as a whole wins. An accomplishment that fortifies, encourages, and inspires,” he said.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in full in February 2022, both Moldova and Ukraine submitted applications to join the EU. Georgia was passed over when they were both granted candidate status in June last year.
Sharing the road to EU membership with Ukraine, according to President Maia Sandu, is an honor. “We wouldn’t be here today without Ukraine’s brave resistance against Russia’s brutal invasion,” she stated.
Russia was attempting to take control of Chisinau, Moldova warned earlier this year. According to Ms. Sandu, Moldova is now experiencing the “warm embrace” of Europe. She congratulated her countrymen on “an award for all of society, all those who choose democracy and prosperity.”
The EU’s “historic” decision to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova was hailed by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as a “crucial step toward fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations”. Ukraine’s membership in the EU is not guaranteed by the decision of Thursday, as negotiations can take years.
Although the people of Ukraine are aware that gaining full membership will take time, their morale will be raised by this Brussels decision.
While Kyiv has already received praise from the EU executive for having completed over 90% of the measures taken so far on justice and combating corruption, prospective EU members must still pass a number of reforms to comply with standards ranging from the economy to the rule of law.
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, congratulated other leaders for demonstrating a “strong sign of support” and said that it was obvious that Moldova and Ukraine were part of “the European family”. According to a diplomat present at the summit, Mr. Scholz suggested that Mr. Orban leave the room so that the vote could proceed.
This was much-needed good news for Ukraine, which had been fighting Russia for nearly 22 months and was still fighting for financial and military support from the West. It’s a historic moment, according to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, and an “important message of hope” for the people of Moldova and Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky visited the US earlier this week in a fruitless attempt to convince Congress to approve $61 billion in military spending, which Republican lawmakers had blocked. At the beginning of winter, Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying force came to a complete standstill.
President Vladimir Putin made fun of Ukraine earlier on Thursday and stated that Western assistance was running low: “Pardon my vulgarity, but everything is being brought in for free.” However, those benefits might eventually expire.”
But at least now, President Zelensky can use this diplomatic victory as evidence that Ukraine’s allies aren’t abandoning it piece by piece. It is a “very powerful signal… to the people of Ukraine, we are on their side,” according to the president of the European Council.
Many in Kyiv firmly believe that their future as an active and productive member of the European Union lies in their fight against Russia’s invasion as a defense of European values.
The 2014 “Revolution of Dignity” in Ukraine, which overthrew its pro-Kremlin president, was motivated by a desire to leave Russia’s political orbit and head toward Europe. President Putin responded by invading a much larger area in 2022 and deploying troops into Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
President Putin responded by invading a much larger area in 2022 and deploying troops into Crimea and eastern Ukraine. The pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili called the EU vote a “monumental milestone” for Georgia, which was also invaded by Russia in 2008.
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According to European Council President Charles Michel, the European Union (EU) has decided to start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, grant candidate status to Georgia, and start negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the required membership requirements are fulfilled.
Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, said that Hungary did not participate in the EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and that it was a bad decision. In February and March of 2022, respectively, Ukraine and Moldova submitted their applications to join the EU; in June, they were awarded candidate status.
Eastern Europe’s landscape has been shaped by a sequence of significant events that have transpired in recent geopolitical developments. At a summit in Brussels on December 14, 2023, European leaders took a momentous decision: they decided to start EU membership negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine and to give Georgia candidate status.
Bestows ‘Candidate’ Crown on Georgia
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky hailed this action as a victory, and it is a significant step toward deeper ties between these nations and the European Union.
On December 13, 2023, however, a tragic event occurred in Kyiv, Ukraine, where a Russian missile strike left dozens of people injured. This attack was part of a bigger Russian air campaign that took place on Thursday and Friday against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. A children’s hospital was one of the damaged buildings, according to the mayor of Kyiv, demonstrating the attack’s indiscriminate nature and effect on civilian lives.
On December 12, 2023, a day before the missile strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a significant press conference in conjunction with Volodymyr Zelensky’s diplomatic visit to Brussels. Putin thanked the Federal Security Service (FSB) for battling extremism within Russia and acknowledged “heavy losses” in Russia’s ranks during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin maintained that Russia’s military operations in Ukraine were targeted at “terrorist” positions and accused the nation of drone strikes against Russian cities.
Putin seemed to acknowledge the seriousness of the recent military defeats in Ukraine on October 5, 2022. He stated that Russia had sustained “significant losses” and that his goal was to “stabilize” the situation in four areas of Ukraine that Russia had wrongfully annexed. Putin made it clear that Russia’s goal was stabilization rather than war.
These events, taken together with military maneuvers, geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe, and diplomatic overtures, essentially represent a complex and dynamic regional situation. The story is still being shaped by the relationships between Russia, Ukraine, and the EU, which highlight the difficulties and unpredictabilities in the area.
