“This day will go down in our history,” said Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Photo: CORNELIUS POPPE/AFP < p>The EU offered Ukraine the chance to start accession talks on Thursday after Vladimir Zelensky warned them that Kiev's failure to negotiate accession would go down in history.
Charles Michel , president of the European Council, said it was “a clear signal of hope for their people and for our people.”
Speaking ahead of the summit, Zelensky told EU leaders via video link: “Today is a special day. And this day will go down in our history. Whether it is good or bad for us, history will record everything. Every word, every step, every action and inaction. Who fought for what.
“Today is the day when determination will be either in Brussels or in Moscow. Europe will not understand if Putin's satisfied smile is the reward for a meeting in Brussels.”
The EU's continued support for Ukraine has become even more important to the war-torn crisis after the US failed to agree on an aid package for the amounting to $60 billion (£52.7 billion).
Opposition from Hungary
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister arrived at the summit in Brussels on Thursday as the main opponent of the start of negotiations on Kiev's entry into the bloc and financial assistance in the amount of 50 billion euros.
He argued that Ukraine does not deserve to begin negotiations or receive money from the EU's joint budget.
Hungary has repeatedly delayed the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, opposing measures such as sanctions against Moscow and arms supplies to Kiev.
Mr Orban is the only EU leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. and continue to do business with Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine.
“There is no reason to discuss anything [membership talks] because the preconditions have not been met,” Mr. Orbán said.
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“In the long term and with a larger amount of money, I believe that we have to allocate it outside [the budget],” he added, referring to the four-year financial package.
EU leaders are achieving their target At a two-day European Council summit, they said they were ready for lengthy discussions to overcome Orban's opposition.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said: “I am ready to negotiate. I've collected a lot of shirts if it takes us a long time.”
He said Ukraine's support was critical to “our security and existence as a reliable alliance,” adding: “We need strong resistance here. We must show our unity.”
“A threat to the future of Europe”
Evika Silina, Latvia's prime minister, suggested the bloc could not rely on “someone who jeopardizes the future of Europe” in a veiled dig at Hungary.
“Maybe there is a point when we will have to negotiate – not about Ukraine, but about someone else who is not moving forward,” she added.
The leaders of the 26 other EU countries have largely supported the start of membership negotiations with Ukraine and financial package.
On Wednesday, the European Commission handed over 10 billion euros to Hungary, which had been withheld due to the alleged erosion of democracy in the country, despite opposition from EU officials.
We had hoped that this money would amount to about a third of frozen EU funding. to Budapest, it would help ease Orbán's opposition to Ukrainian aid.
Hungary has failed to meet preconditions
Earlier this week, the Hungarian prime minister's political director suggested it would take €30 billion to change his mind on the financial package. proposed for Ukraine.
“I always have some difficulties with a summit like this, when one person thinks that we can offer all sorts of different things,” Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, told reporters.
“We have put forward seven preconditions, and c According to the Commission, three out of seven have not been met, so there is no point in discussing anything since the preconditions have not been met. Therefore, we will have to come back later, return to this issue again when it is completed by the Ukrainians,” he said.
In its recommendation to EU leaders, the Commission proposed formally adopting the framework for negotiations in March. next year, potentially giving Ukraine time to meet remaining reform demands.
Meanwhile, Austria has also emerged as a potential obstacle to Ukraine's EU membership, demanding that Brussels not speed up Kiev's negotiations at the expense of the six Western Balkan states it hopes join the bloc.
Diplomatic sources said Italy also linked demands for increased migration costs to money for Ukraine.
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