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EU launches ‘historic’ membership talks with Ukraine, Moldova

President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a “historic day” as officials from Kyiv and the EU’s 27 member states met in Luxembourg…reports Asian Lite News

The European Union on Tuesday kicked off accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, setting the fragile ex-Soviet states on a long path toward membership that Russia has tried to block.

The landmark move signals in particular a vote of confidence in Kyiv’s future at a time when Moscow has momentum on the battlefield almost two and a half years into the Kremlin’s invasion.

“Dear friends, today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said via videolink at the start of the talks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a “historic day” as officials from Kyiv and the EU’s 27 member states met in Luxembourg.

“We will never be derailed from our path to a united Europe and to our common home of all European nations,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media.

Ukraine and later Moldova lodged their bids to join the EU in the aftermath of Russia’s assault in February 2022.

The opening of the talks marks just the beginning of a protracted process of reforms in Ukraine that is strewn with political obstacles and will likely take many years — and may never lead to membership.

Standing in the way along that journey will be not just Russia’s efforts at destabilization but reticence from doubters inside the EU, most notably Hungary.

But European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called the opening of talks “very good news for the people of Ukraine, Moldova, and the entire European Union.”

“The path ahead will be challenging but full of opportunities,” she wrote on X on Tuesday.

So far, Ukraine has won plaudits for kickstarting a raft of reforms on curbing graft and political interference, even as war rages.

Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna, vowed that Kyiv “will be able to complete everything before 2030” to join the bloc.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has reinvigorated a push in the EU to take on new members, after years in which countries particularly in the Western Balkans made little progress on their hopes to join.

The EU in December 2023 also granted candidate status to Georgia, another of Russia’s former Soviet neighbors.

It likewise approved accession negotiations with Bosnia and has talks ongoing with Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.

The meetings with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday will set off a process of screening of how far laws in the countries already comply with EU standards and how much more work lies ahead.

Once that is done the EU then has to begin laying out conditions for negotiations on 35 subjects, ranging from taxation to environmental policy.

Stefanishyna said the next step should come in early 2025.

EU countries pushed to start the talks now before Hungary — the friendliest country to Russia in the bloc — takes over the EU’s rotating presidency next month.

Budapest has been opposed to pressing ahead with Kyiv’s membership bid, arguing that Ukraine was unfairly moving ahead for political reasons.

“From what I see here as we speak, they are very far from meeting the accession criteria,” Hungary’s Europe minister Janos Boka said on Tuesday.

Accepting Ukraine — a war-ravaged country of some 40 million people — would be a major step for the EU, and there are calls for the bloc to carry out reforms to streamline how it works before accepting new members.

The start of the talks resonates powerfully in Ukraine, as it was a desire for closer ties with the EU that sparked protests back in 2014 that eventually spiralled into the full-blown crisis with Russia.

The negotiations also come at a tense time in Moldova after the United States, Britain and Canada warned of a Russian “plot” to influence the country’s presidential elections in October.

Wedged between Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova’s pro-Western authorities frequently accuse the Kremlin of interfering in its internal affairs.

President Maia Sandu has accused Moscow, which has troops stationed in a breakaway region of the country, of aiming to destabilize Moldova ahead of the vote.

“Our future is within the European family,” Sandu wrote on X. “We are stronger together.”

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EU greenlights membership talks with Ukraine, Moldova 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, stated on X that “it’s clear these countries belong to the European family.”…reports Asian Lite News

The European Council has opened membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel informed on Thursday, CNN reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the development calling it a “victory of Ukraine”.

“This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” Zelensky posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom,” he added.

Notably, Ukraine has held ambitions to join the European Union for more than a decade. The announcement by the European Council comes nearly two years after the bloc accepted Ukraine as a candidate state.

However, a few fundamental obstacles stand in the way of Ukraine joining the bloc and it could still be a decade until Kyiv joins the EU enjoying the benefits of full membership, according to CNN.

Ukraine still needs to meet the conditions of the Copenhagen Criteria – an opaque trio of requirements that the EU must be satisfied are met – before moving to the next stage of negotiations.

The criteria focus on whether or not a candidate country has a functioning free-market economy if the country’s institutions are fit to uphold European values such as human rights and the EU’s interpretation of the rule of law, and whether the country has a functioning, inclusive democracy, CNN reported.

Notably, these things are hard to prove for any country let alone Ukraine which is reeling under a state of war with Russia.

If Ukraine can meet the Copenhagen Criteria, EU and Ukrainian officials can start negotiating under the 35 Chapters of the Acquis, which lay out the accession conditions. After this, all chapters of negotiations need to be fully closed and signed off by every EU member state before being ratified by the EU parliament.

However, despite the remaining obstacles, Thursday’s announcement amounts to an important step for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict, CNN reported.

Several European leaders have welcomed the development. Ukraine is one of nine countries currently seeking membership in the EU, along with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, stated on X that “it’s clear these countries belong to the European family.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, called the decision “strategic” and “a day that will remain engraved in the history” of the European Union.

“Proud that we have lived up to our promises and delighted for our partners,” she stated.

Notably, Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Oban have proved to be the most significant ‘barrier’ to Ukraine’s EU funding and accession talks, CNN reported.

Earlier this week, Orban claimed that Ukraine still needs to meet three of the seven conditions necessary to greenlight accession talks and, therefore, said there was no current reason to negotiate EU membership for Ukraine.

Orban Thursday called the announcement that Ukraine was beginning accession negotiations “a completely senseless, irrational and incorrect decision,” adding that his country “did not participate in the decision today.”

“Hungary’s position is clear; Ukraine is not prepared to start negotiations on EU Membership,” Orban posted on X.

“On the other hand, 26 other countries insisted that a decision be made,” he stated. “Therefore, Hungary decided that if the 26 decide to do so, they should go their own way. Hungary does not want to share in this bad decision”. (ANI)

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NATO mulls supplying Moldova with weapons

According to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, NATO members are talking about the possibility of ensuring that not only Ukraine, but also Moldova has modern defenses, reports Asian Lite News

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the United Kingdom and other NATO members are discussing the possibility of sending modern weaponry to Moldova.

“I would want to see Moldova equipped to Nato standard. This is a discussion we’re having with our allies,” Truss said in a Friday interview with The Telegraph.

According to Truss, NATO members are talking about the possibility of ensuring that not only Ukraine, but also Moldova has modern defenses.

If the military alliance agrees on the issue, NATO will provide weapons to Moldova in order to replace Soviet-era equipment and will also provide training to Moldovan military personnel, The Telegraph said on Friday. (ANI/Sputnik)

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Moldova applies for EU membership

The application will be sent to Brussels in the coming days, the president said…reports Asian Lite News

Moldova has officially applied for membership of the European Union, a week after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.

The announcement came after the European Parliament expressed backing for a similar move by Kyiv.

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said in a statement on Thursday that the country had signed “a request to join the European Union”.

“We want to live in peace, prosperity, be part of the free world,” she said. “While some decisions take time, others must be made quickly and decisively, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come with a changing world.”

Sandu, the prime minister and the parliamentary speaker all signed the document during a briefing in the capital, Chisinau, where pro-Russian and pro-EU politicians have vied for control since Moldova won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The application will be sent to Brussels in the coming days, the president said.

Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu hailed the announcement as “a day future generations will proudly relate to, it is the moment our country has irreversibly anchored itself in the European space”.

Moldova, one of the continent’s poorest countries, signed an association agreement with the EU in 2014, aimed at aligning it with the union’s political and economic standards. However, it has not received a guarantee of membership.

Fellow ex-Soviet republic Georgia also formally applied for membership of the bloc on Thursday.

“History has deemed the European choice of the Georgian people as its strategic aim,” Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said after signing the application letter.

Georgia last year had announced its intention to apply for EU membership in 2024.

Efforts from ex-Soviet countries to build closer ties with the West have long angered Russia. Moscow is fiercely opposed to the eastwards expansion of the EU and NATO, which it sees as a direct threat to Russia’s security.

The West has expressed concerns that Moldova and Georgia risk becoming possible targets for the Kremlin after Ukraine.

“We stand with Moldova and Georgia to defend their sovereignty and security,” French President Emmanuel Macron said last week, while his Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France was “worried” about a possible Russian military offensive against the ex-Soviet nations.

The process of accession to the EU is expected to be long and involve large-scale reforms, provided the countries win candidate status.

In addition, all existing members have a veto on new additions.

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Moldova next on Russia’s list?

Putin’s war-mongering sidekick addressed security officials Wednesday while standing in front of a battle map that seems to show a planned operation into Moldova…reports Asian Lite News

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko appears to have indicated Vladimir Putin’s forces have plans to invade Moldova, Daily Mail reported.

Putin’s war-mongering sidekick addressed security officials Wednesday while standing in front of a battle map that seems to show a planned operation from southern Ukraine into its tiny neighbour.

The map also showed proposed battle plans for Russian troops across the country.

It detailed Russian lines of attack heading into Ukraine, some of which have materialised in the first few days of the invasion — such as forces storming towards Kyiv from the north, and towards Kherson from Crimea, Daily Mail reported.

Pic credits president.gov.by

But they also showed off several attacks that have yet to come to pass — with one even appearing to point from the port city of Odessa into Moldova, suggesting Russia plans to march troops into Ukraine’s neighbour.

Meanwhile Putin’s military has suffered an embarrassing string of defeats while trying to carry out precision strikes on key targets in an apparent effort to win the war quickly and convincingly.

That has raised fears that he is now about to deploy Russian heavy armour and artillery in an attempt to brute-force his way to victory — a strategy that could cause huge civilian casualties.

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