Zelensky expects EU accession negotiations to begin this year

Following the visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects EU accession negotiations to begin this year.

"Today I heard positive signals from the president of the European Commission regarding our progress towards the start of negotiations," Zelensky said in his evening video message broadcast on Saturday. Von der Leyen had previously acknowledged the success of Ukraine, which has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than 20 months.

EU leaders are to decide on the start of accession negotiations in December.

In his speech, Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainians should get used to integrating into the EU. The time is approaching when the Ukrainian flag will fly in Brussels alongside the flags of other EU states. "I would like to thank President von der Leyen for her strong and fundamental support."

It is not a question of the EU dictating anything to Ukraine, Zelensky stressed, referring to the fight against corruption, for example, which Brussels has repeatedly called for. "The transformation of our country is something we need ourselves," he said.

Despite the war, Ukraine had been granted EU candidate status at record speed and had now also created the conditions for the start of negotiations on accession.

Ukraine has achieved many milestones on the way to Kiev's goal of joining the European Union, she said. Von der Leyen mentioned the reform of the judicial system, the curbing of the influence of oligarchs and the fight against money laundering.