The EU is officially establishing the accession process for Ukraine and Moldova | Story

Kyiv sees EU accession as a guarantee of security and ties to Western policy while protecting Russia.

The European Union has officially established the process of accession to the territories of Ukraine and Moldova.

The formal implementation on Monday will require the two countries to commit to years of political reform. Ukraine must begin this difficult process as it continues to fight Russian aggression, but Kyiv sees EU membership as a guarantee of security and an anchor for its efforts to join the West.

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Marking the ceremony, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, joined the intergovernmental meeting in Luxembourg that opened negotiations to help Kyiv to harmonize the rules, principles and values ​​of the 27 bloc.

“The fight against Ukraine and the threat to Europe is Russia’s permanent policy, so we must be united,” Kachka told reporters. “That is why we need fast and comprehensive communication in the European Union.”

However, there is serious concern in the EU about Ukraine’s readiness to join, as well as security concerns due to the conflict with Russia and Moscow’s declaration of five territories.

The best guarantee of Ukraine’s security would be membership of the NATO military alliance, but the Trump administration in the United States has insisted that this will not happen, and other member states are cautious as the conflict with Russia continues.

Ukraine’s accession has long been blocked by Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose authoritarian government was seen as Russia’s strongest ally in Europe and a threat to the EU project. However, Orban lost the elections in April.

His successor, Péter Magyar, has sought a swift return to the EU, and last week agreed to lift Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s bid to join — a move that followed shortly after Brussels agreed to unlock €16bn ($18bn) in EU winter funding in Budapest.

Russia has also been trying to keep Moldova within its reach. Last year, Moscow was accused of running a disinformation campaign led by artificial intelligence to try to influence the election, although the pro-Western candidate won.

Countries hoping to join the EU must complete negotiations on 35 areas, or chapters, ranging from agriculture to taxation and trade power, a process that could take years.

Monday’s meeting opened five important chapters – grouped into “groups” – that support the values ​​and principles on which the bloc was founded, especially the rule of law, human rights and the functioning of democracy.

Topics include justice and human rights, justice, freedom and security, public procurement, and statistics and financial management. The group is important to other EU countries who are concerned about Ukraine’s ability and willingness to fight corruption.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the start of the project “very important”.

“Both countries have made very difficult changes at very difficult times. Their membership will make Europe stronger,” he said at X.

Some European countries pushed for Ukraine to join the bloc as quickly as possible. They consider that Ukraine is very important for the security of Europe and have helped strengthen its military.

Last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged his EU partners to consider giving Ukraine “associate membership” to help breathe new life into talks aimed at ending the four-year war with Russia.

Some countries – France and the Netherlands among them – have proposed to bring Ukraine into the fold as soon as possible, but without the right to become a full member.

But EU officials, and other countries in line to join the bloc, insist that this must be the right thing to do to become a full member.