Ukraine's Foreign Minister to Visit Berlin for Meeting on EU Reform and Ukraine's Accession

, 1 November 2023, 08:40

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, has said he was leaving for Berlin for a ministerial conference on the future of the EU and Ukraine's accession to the latter.

"I'm finishing up my working day and going on a business trip to Berlin. There will be a crucial ministerial meeting on the future of the EU and Ukraine's accession to the EU. And this bear representing Berlin in my office radiates optimism about our European future," Kuleba said on Instagram.

The minister noted that the conference will discuss changes to the EU in the wake of Ukraine's and other countries' accession to the European Union.

"It's wonderful that they are willing to hear us, that they don't make decisions behind our backs. I always said Ukraine is a first-class country, and it will be a first-class member of the European Union," the foreign minister stressed.

European Pravda (EP) reported that heads and representatives of the foreign ministries of all EU member states and all candidate states will gather in Berlin on 2 November.

This will be the first major meeting of its kind dedicated to EU reform. During the meeting, Kyiv will insist that it is unacceptable for the political conditions of EU enlargement to hinder Ukraine's accession once Kyiv has fulfilled the legal and technical requirements for membership.

EP suggests that European political heavyweights may also support the Ukrainian opinion in Berlin.

On 30 October, Kuleba said news with a "positive effect" on Ukraine's progress towards EU membership would soon emerge.

Sources say the European Commission is preparing to release a positive assessment of Ukraine's progress meeting the EU accession criteria on 8 November.