In July, Ukraine stands a good chance of opening five new negotiation chapters on accession to the European Union. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised that there are no fundamental obstacles to this process.
- Ukraine is hoping to open five new rounds of negotiations with the EU.
- Zelenskyy thanked Cyprus for its successful presidency of the Council of the EU.
- The President called for tougher sanctions against Russia.
- The ‘Drone Deal’ initiative to strengthen defence capabilities is currently under discussion.
Launch of new rounds of negotiations with the EU
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy During his speech at the opening ceremony of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, which began its term on 1 July, he expressed his hope that five new clusters of negotiations on Ukraine’s membership of the European Union would be opened. “There are no substantive obstacles to this,” he stressed, emphasising that Ukraine is keen to move forward on the path to European integration as dynamically as possible.
Zelenskyy also thanked Cyprus for a productive six months, during which the negotiation process was launched and the first cluster was opened. “Over the past six months, we have managed to open the first cluster and officially begin negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU“, — he said.
Security and Countering Aggression
The President of Ukraine emphasised the importance of countering aggression from the Russian Federation. He noted that world leaders, including Donald Trump, made it clear to Moscow that the war must come to an end. As the Kremlin has shown no willingness to halt its aggression, Zelenskyy has called on Europe and its partners to create conditions under which it would be impossible for Russia to continue the war.
“Ukraine’s strategy of long-range strikes against the enemy’s military and oil facilities plays a significant role in this,” said the President, highlighting the aggressor’s vulnerability.
A breakthrough in defence cooperation: the Drone Deal initiative
Zelenskyy paid particular attention to the initiative Drone Deal, which Kyiv has proposed to the European Union. He expressed his hope for a real breakthrough in this area over the next six months. A number of bilateral defence agreements have already been concluded with European countries, which will form the foundation for scaling up Ukrainian developments in the field of unmanned and anti-drone systems.
“Modern means of monitoring airspace and maritime borders are a critical necessity for every EU Member State,” Zelenskyy emphasised, highlighting Ukraine’s technological expertise, which is capable of significantly strengthening pan-European defence capabilities.
