Zelenskyy: Ukraine's membership in the European Union will be marked from today

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a statement on the occasion of the inaugural Intergovernmental Conference on Ukraine's Accession to the EU, which will officially launch discussions for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

According to Zelenskyy, 25 Lune marks a watershed moment in Ukraine's history as it enters into genuine membership negotiations with the European Union.

He recalled how the application for membership was signed on 28 February 2022, only days after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

"Almost two years ago, in June 2022, we attained candidate status, and last December we secured a political decision on negotiations. But it is from today that the start of our membership in the European Union will be marked – the first intergovernmental conference between Ukraine and the EU is taking place today," Zelenskyy said on Twitter (X).

He thanked everyone who protects Ukraine, the Ukrainian state, and its people, as well as the team that is working tirelessly to make Ukraine a member of the EU.

"We will never be derailed from our path to a united Europe, to our common home of all European nations. A home that must be peaceful!" he concluded. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and a number of EU member state leaders issued relevant statements before the start of negotiations.

On Tuesday, 25 June, Luxembourg will host the first Intergovernmental Conference on Ukraine's Accession to the EU, which will mark the official opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Before that, the Council of the European Union approved the negotiation framework for Ukraine and Moldova’s accession.