A crucial week awaits for Ukraine as the EU discusses billions in aid and formal accession negotiations.
– The future of the entire EU is at stake, says the country’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Hungary’s continued opposition to most things to do with Ukraine will dominate EU week in Brussels.
In turn, foreign ministers, EU ministers and heads of state and government will try to get Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to open up. A clear majority in the rest of the EU says yes to both multi-year, multibillion-dollar aid to Kiev, as well as the start of formal membership negotiations with the EU.
“Difficult to understand”
On Monday, Ukraine itself also contributes to the pressure. Foreign Minister Kuleba is in Brussels to participate in a meeting within the EU’s Eastern Partnership and will also meet his Hungarian colleague Peter Szijjarto separately.
– I still have a little difficulty understanding what all the radical statements (from Hungary about Ukraine) are based on, Kuleba explains to the gathered press corps before the meeting.
– What is at stake here is not just the membership of a few countries — but the future of the entire EU, says the foreign minister.
Sweden supports
Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström (M) sees Monday’s meetings as a first step on the way to the gathering of heads of state and government on Thursday and Friday.
– I think this meeting will be an important checkpoint before the European Council (this week’s EU summit). The Swedish position is crystal clear: we need to open up the membership negotiations. We believe that Ukraine’s case is clear and we should support this, says Billström on his way into the meeting.