All negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s EU accession could be opened by summer – Kallas
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas believes that all six negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine's accession to the European Union can be opened by summer.
She said this after the conclusion of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on May 11, EP reports, according to Censor.NET.
Opening of negotiation clusters possible "by summer"
"Ministers discussed Ukraine's accession. Ukraine has made significant progress in reforms under the most difficult circumstances. There is now a new momentum, and we must use it to advance Ukraine's path to the EU. This means opening all negotiation clusters by summer," she stated.
Kallas noted that "Ukraine's accession to the EU is not charity, but an investment in our own security," as well as a clear message from the EU to Putin that "Ukraine's European future is more important to us than its destruction is for Russia."
At the same time, the EP publication notes that for European states, summer traditionally begins not on June 1, as in Ukraine, but on June 22, the day of the summer solstice.
"Regarding summer, in fact, this morning we had the same discussion (with EU FMs). The talk was that something should happen 'by summer,' and I said: that's only two weeks away! But in reality, obviously, the European summer can also start in August. So we'll see," Kallas replied to journalists' requests to clarify which summer — Ukrainian or European — she meant.
Opening of the first cluster in June
Earlier, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Marta Kos stated that the first negotiation cluster, "Fundamentals," regarding Ukraine's accession to the European Union could be opened as early as June.
