“If "There Are No Force Majeure Events": Ukraine's Foreign Minister Comments on Timing of Opening of Negotiations with EU

, 9 October 2023, 10:06

Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, considers it realistic to open negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union, if "there are no force majeure events."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Forbes that the Ukrainian parliament is capable of passing all the necessary draft laws to open negotiations with the EU, although this will become a "test" for the Rada [Ukrainian parliament – ed.].

"For this parliament, this is a test of patriotism. It must pass this test. So far, voting is in progress. There is a majority, the head of the Verkhovna Rada , Ruslan Stefanchuk, is leading this process through the reefs of Ukrainian parliamentarism," Kuleba said.

Kuleba is convinced that it is quite possible to start negotiations with the EU by the end of this year.

"If there are no force majeure events and no new demands or recommendations or sub-recommendations are put forward, I think we will open negotiations by the end of this year," Kuleba believe

The European Commission is expected to present its annual report on enlargement at the end of October. In it, the EC is expected to recommend starting official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The final "green light" for the start of accession negotiations will be given not by the European Commission, but by the member states who must agree to it unanimously.

Currently, Ukraine has not completed the implementation of the seven criteria and is persistently failing to implement one of the EU's recommendations, which several states consider to be key, concerning legislation on publicly significant persons or politically exposed persons.