The EU on Monday formally opened accession talks with Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto on the arduous legislative alignment Kyiv must complete to join the bloc.
The opening ceremony was held in Luxembourg on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers, days after Budapest gave its assent. The move marks the clearest sign yet of the EU using enlargement as a geopolitical tool to counter Russian and Chinese influence in its eastern neighbourhood.
“This is a definite step towards accession . . . and we expect the next steps will be done immediately without delay,” said Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration. “We know that Russia is an anti-Europe aggressor . . . that’s why we need to be united and use our capacities together.”