{"id":15112,"date":"2026-06-15T15:31:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T15:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15112"},"modified":"2026-06-15T15:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T15:31:51","slug":"ukraine-to-start-eu-membership-talks-ushering-in-years-of-reforms-while-fighting-russias-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15112","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine to start EU membership talks, ushering in years of reforms while fighting Russia\u2019s war"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By LORNE COOK<\/strong><\/p>\n

BRUSSELS (AP) \u2014 Ukraine was due on Monday to officially begin European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it continues to fight a Russian invasion.<\/p>\n

Read more The economy in the occupied West Bank is being dismantled, report says<\/a><\/p>\n

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka was to attend a so-called intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg, to open talks on a first group of policy areas that will help Kyiv align with EU laws, standards and values.<\/p>\n

Ukraine sees EU membership as one \u201csecurity guarantee\u201d for a stable future once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be NATO membership, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining while fighting continues.<\/p>\n

Moldova was also due to officially launch its membership talks. Russia has long tried to keep the country within its orbit, and was last year accused of waging a major disinformation campaign driven by artificial intelligence during the elections.<\/p>\n

EU values and principles first up<\/h4>\n

Countries hoping to join the EU must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, or chapters, from agriculture to taxation and energy to trade, a process which can take years.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s meeting was to open five key chapters \u2014 grouped together as \u201cclusters\u201d \u2014 that underpin the values and principles on which the bloc was founded, notably the rule of law, fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

The chapters are judiciary and fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security, public procurement, statistics and financial control. This cluster is important for some EU countries that worry about Ukraine\u2019s ability and willingness to fight corruption.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Last month, two national agencies fighting corruption named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u2019s former chief of staff as an official suspect in a major graft investigation, but they said the Ukrainian leader was not under suspicion in the case.<\/p>\n

For some, the quicker the better<\/h4>\n

The talks come at a time when some European countries have been pushing to get Ukraine inside the bloc as quickly as possible. They see Ukraine as vital to Europe\u2019s security, and have helped bolster its military.<\/p>\n

Last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged his EU partners to consider offering Ukraine \u201cassociate membership\u201d to help breathe new life into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia.<\/p>\n

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Other countries \u2014 France and the Netherlands among them \u2014 have suggested work-arounds to bring Ukraine into the fold more quickly but without the rights of full membership.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But EU officials, and other countries waiting in line to join the bloc, insist that it should be a merits-based process that leads to nothing less than full membership.<\/p>\n

Finland\u2019s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said that completing the full reform process is vital, and that membership is not simply about securing a \u201cclub card for the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Ukrainians \u201ctruly are after is freedom, democracy and a transparent market economy without any corruption,\u201d she told reporters in Luxembourg ahead of the ceremony.<\/p>\n

Fears of another Hungary<\/h4>\n

Ukraine\u2019s accession process was long stymied by Hungary, under stridently nationalist former Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n, who was considered Russia\u2019s strongest ally in Europe and possible threat to the EU project.<\/p>\n

Orb\u00e1n routinely exploited voting rules that require all 27 member countries to agree on certain rules, sanctions and even political statements. Indeed, unanimous agreement is required for each negotiating chapter to be opened, and then again for it to be closed.<\/p>\n

The European Commission froze billions of euros in funds for Hungary in response to democratic backsliding led by Orb\u00e1n, and concern lingers about the damage that can be done when one unhappy government insists on wielding its veto.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be very cautious in the future and make sure that these are countries that really want to be a part of Europe, and a part of the European Union, and are willing to work with us,\u201d Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order for the EU to be really strong, we need to make sure that this doesn\u2019t happen again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration\u2019s dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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