The upcoming EU summit will be decisive for Ukraine’s European integration. The launch of Kyiv’s negotiations on the accession to the EU is of particular importance for European security as Ukraine has been courageously defending Europe from Russian invaders for almost two years alerady.
It is known that the summit will also consider issues on the approval of the Ukraine Facility, which will ensure macro-financial stability in Ukraine, continued funding for the European Peace Facility so that the EU can provide lethal and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, as well the 12th package of Russia sanctions.
The majority of EU member states are in favor of starting negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, as evidenced by a survey run by the European Council on Foreign Relations in six EU member states. Europeans are generally open to the idea of Ukraine joining the EU, despite the costs and risks. At the same time, there are countries in the EU that intend to block Ukraine’s European integration process.
These are Hungary and Slovakia. Orban and Fico have traditionally opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO, echoing Russian propaganda narratives.
However, the population in these two countries and ethnic Hungarians and Slovaks residing in Ukraine do not share the position expressed by prime ministers. Thus, the leaders of the Hungarian communities in Ukraine ask Orban to support negotiations on Ukraine’s EU accession. The Hungarians were joined by the Union of Slovaks of Zakarpattia, who called on the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to support at the upcoming EU summit the decision to launch EU accession talks with Ukraine.
As expected, the main critics of Ukraine’s European integration idea are openly pro-Russian leaders. But by playing along with Russian propaganda narratives, Orban and Fico are jeopardizing the national security of their own countries and the European Union as a whole.