© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
By Bart H. Meijer, Gabriela Baczynska and Andrew Gray
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to open membership talks with Ukraine, something Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for weeks had vowed to block.
There was no immediate comment from Hungary after the chairman of the summit, European Council President Charles Michel, said: “The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova.”
He went on to say the summit granted EU candidate status to Georgia and would also advance an EU bid by another hopeful – Bosnia – once it reaches “the necessary degree of compliance” with criteria.
“This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Earlier in the day as the 27 EU leaders gathered for their last summit of the year, Orban insisted that the EU should not start membership talks with Ukraine.
Orban was a lone hold-out at the summit, taking place at a critical time for Kyiv in its war against Russia’s invasion.
