Ukraine officially opened accession talks with the European Union on June 25 in Luxembourg, a move that marks a watershed moment for the country's aspirations to eventually join the bloc.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the official start of the negotiations, saying that the European project was only truly complete with Ukraine as its part.
"As of today, we have full confidence -- Ukraine will definitely become a full member of the European Union," he said in a video address from Kyiv.
Ukraine's delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, includes more than 30 officials, mostly representatives of the government.
"This is a truly historical moment for my country. All the nation stands as one behind this decision," she told reporters as she arrived for the ceremony to mark the opening of talks.
Stefanishyna said that as Russia's attack on Ukraine rages on, the hope embodied in the opening of talks will give the country's citizens "the moral power to continue withstanding."
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, whose country currently holds the EUs rotating presidency, said that "this is a historic moment" for all those involved and pledged the EU's continued support for Ukraine.
"Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and salutes the resilience of the Ukrainian people," Lahbib said.
The EU Council, which groups representatives of the governments of the 27 states that make up the bloc, approved the negotiating framework for Ukraine and Moldova on June 21 after the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, on June 7 recommended opening the process, saying the two countries were sufficiently prepared.
Moldova also launched its membership talks later on June 25. The negotiations will be arduous for both countries and could take years.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Moldova and Ukraine, saying the start of accession negotiations "is very good news" for the citizens of the two countries and the entire European Union.
"The road ahead will be difficult, but full of opportunities," she said.
European Council President Charles Michel said in October that Ukraine, which is currently engaged in a defense war against Russia's unprovoked invasion, could become a member of the bloc by 2030 "if both sides do their homework."
Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu has also made a political commitment to achieve EU membership by 2030. Sandu, under whom Moldova made an abrupt U-turn from Russia to Europe, is up for reelection later this year after handing an upset defeat to Moscow-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020.
Ukraine and Moldova submitted their candidacies shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and obtained candidate status in June of that year, gaining the conditional green light for the start of negotiations in December.
With Sandu at the helm, neutral Moldova strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, firmly aligning itself with Kyiv while tightening its ties with its Western neighbor, EU and NATO member Romania, with whom Moldova shares a common language and history.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 21 that pursuing EU integration was a sovereign matter for Chisinau but said there were "many Moldovans" who also desired close ties to Russia.