Zelenskyy: Ukraine and Moldova must move together toward EU
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged simultaneous EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova, according to Zelenskyy’s evening address.
Zelenskyy recalled that Ukraine has done a lot to ensure Moldova stands alongside it on the path toward Europe.
"We help stabilize Moldova internally so that Russian interference fails. We support the stability of Moldova’s energy sector. At one point, we insisted that Moldova deserved candidate status. And our current position is still based on justice and real achievements," the President said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine has already fulfilled all the requirements to open the first negotiation cluster for EU accession, and Europe has acknowledged this. Therefore, there should be no artificial delays on this path.
"Any artificial pauses or separations will only harm Europe. Ukraine and Moldova must move forward together in the negotiation process. I thank all leaders, countries, and the European Union for supporting us in this, for supporting the rules in Europe," he concluded.
During a conversation with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on August 8, Zelenskyy and Tusk agreed that Ukraine and Moldova should open the first negotiation cluster simultaneously. Both countries began their European integration journey together and should continue to move synchronously.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, also emphasized that Ukraine and Moldova must begin EU accession talks together. According to him, everything is ready for this step.
While Moldova faces no obstacles to starting negotiations, Ukraine’s path is being blocked by the pro-Russian regime in Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly made absurd statements about Ukraine in an attempt to justify his actions.
