Ukraine's EU membership is doubtful in the face of continued hostilities - experts

RIGA - With the continuation of hostilities, Ukraine's accession to the European Union (EU) is doubtful, foreign policy experts told Latvian Television last night.

Martins Vargulis, a lecturer at Riga Stradins University, pointed out that accession talks is the final serious step before becoming an EU member state. However, these negotiations can drag on and on for a longer period of time, as, for example, the negotiations with Croatia lasted for more than six years.

At the same time, it is hard to imagine that Ukraine will become an EU member state in the context of full-scale hostilities. "It will probably be a story of when the war is over and, hopefully, Ukraine will win it," the expert stressed, adding that regardless of this, the EU decision is a major change in geopolitics.

According to Toms Rostoks, the director of the Latvian National Defense Academy's Security and Strategic Research Center, Ukraine will not become an EU member state as long as hostilities continue, but the process is set in motion.

The EU now has an additional tool to continue to influence Ukraine's domestic politics. Although it is politely referred to as accession negotiations, in essence, such a country accepts the terms that are 'on the table'.

The AFP news agency reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said the European Union's decision to open accession talks with Ukraine was "a victory" for his war-torn country and "all of Europe".

"A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens," he posted on X, formerly Twitter. "History is made by those who don't get tired of fighting for freedom."

Kyiv had feared Hungarian President Viktor Orban would veto the start of accession talks, but EU Council President Charles Michel said Thursday that the EU had agreed to open talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said the EU's decision showed that it "highly appreciated the reforms we have made in recent years and the implementation of all the recommendations of the European Commission."

"A difficult path lies ahead. We are united and ready to pass it as quickly as possible," he said.