European leaders are expected to give the green light, but the pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatens to block the admission process. He is also against additional financial EU support (€50 billion) for Ukraine. Kyiv also wants the EU to impose new sanctions on Russia to intensify economic and political pressure on the country.
It would be a major embarrassment for the EU if no decision on admission or additional financial aid for Ukraine is made this week (due to Hungary’s resistance?), as is already being noted in Brussels corridors.
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, where she promised further support.
The Netherlands supports negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on membership of the European Union, Bruins Slot wrote to the House of Representatives. The European Commission wants to open negotiations with both countries. Talks with Bosnia can follow later, but that country must take steps first.
After talks with her counterpart Kuleba, Slot said Kyiv has made progress on the reforms required by the EU. “We are positive about the European Commission’s recommendations on the membership negotiations with Ukraine, because your future lies with us,” Slot told news agency Interfax-Ukraine. The Netherlands plans to provide €2.5 billion in aid to Kyiv next year.
Zelensky and Slot also discussed the situation on the frontline in Ukraine, the functioning of the alternative ‘grain corridor,’ strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, as well as training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets with support from the Netherlands.