Lithuanian president proposes to fix 1 January 2030 as date of Ukraine's accession to EU

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has proposed to fix 1 January 2030 as the date of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. 

Nausėda noted at the plenary session of the Support Ukraine forum in Kyiv that now is the time for leadership and Europeans must take responsibility without delay. 

"The security of Europe depends on the security of Ukraine. That is why I want to accelerate Ukraine's accession to the EU. I propose a date of 1 January 2030," Nausėda said.

He added that the opening of the first cluster of negotiations could be made possible in the coming weeks. "Let's make Ukraine's path to the EU inevitable," Nausėda said.

In mid-February, a media outlet reported, citing sources, that the Hungarians had blocked the opening of the first cluster in the framework of the EU accession negotiations with Ukraine.

Later, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna confirmed that Hungary had blocked Ukraine's accession to the EU. Hungary demanded that the list of conditions imposed on Ukraine be expanded.

On 22 February, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the Hungarians would decide the fate of Ukraine's membership in the EU and that Ukraine would never join the union against their will.