The European Union decided on December 14 to open membership talks with Ukraine, sidestepping opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to grant Ukraine its long-standing wish to start the process of membership even while it is at war with invading Russian forces.
European Council President Charles Michel announced that EU leaders agreed at their summit in Brussels to launch membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, calling it “a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent.”
Although membership talks will likely take years and will not start immediately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the agreement on X, formerly Twitter, as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens."
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said it also was a black eye for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it “a very clear message to Moscow. Us Europeans, we don’t let go of Ukraine,” he said.
"A strong sign of support and a perspective for Ukraine," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X. "One thing is clear: these countries belong to the European family," he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X it was a "strategic decision" that came on a day that will "remain engraved in the history of our Union."
Zelenskiy also congratulated Moldova and Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who has said her country is “firmly on the path” to EU membership.
The EU leaders also granted EU candidate status to Georgia and said it would advance an EU bid by another hopeful -- Bosnia-Herzegovina -- once it reaches "the necessary degree of compliance" with the conditions of membership.
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Orban, who had vowed to block the opening of membership talks for Ukraine, said Hungary abstained from the decision after seeing that 26 other countries "insisted" on it. He decided to let his right to oppose lapse because all other EU members were arguing so strongly in favor, he said. Under EU rules, an abstention does not prevent a decision from being adopted.
Orban was out of the room when the decision was made, according to EU officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the summit negotiations were private. They said he was momentarily absent in a "pre-agreed and constructive manner” when the decision was made.
The Hungarian prime minister, who maintains warm relations with Putin, still believes the decision is "completely senseless, irrational and wrong," he said on Facebook.
Zelenskiy earlier called on the summit to green-light the opening of membership negotiations, telling EU leaders that a negative vote would "betray" the Ukrainians' European dreams and embolden Russia.
"I ask you one thing today -- do not betray the people and their faith in Europe," Zelenskiy said in an address to the leaders via video link, adding that a decision against opening negotiations with Kyiv would only play into Putin's hands.
Later on December 14, Zelenskiy made an unannounced visit to a U.S. Army base in Germany, his third visit this week to a Western country that has provided military support to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskiy arrived at the U.S. Army base in Wiesbaden, where the U.S. Defense Department last year established a new organization to coordinate long-term security force assistance.
The EU summit must still decide on a promise to give Ukraine a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) financial aid package, another agenda item opposed by Orban.
The two-day summit comes just days after Zelenskiy visited Washington and failed to convince Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress to unblock a critical military and economic package worth $60 billion for Ukraine.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington that Ukraine needs help now. He also said he hopes that Republicans in the House of Representatives who are holding up the military aid package for Ukraine heard Putin's message earlier on December 14 during his annual press conference and call-in event.
Putin showed no signs of relenting, saying that his goals remain the same. The Russian president also said that support for Ukraine from the West "may end at some point and apparently it’s coming to an end little by little.”