Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia has "finally" accepted Kiev’s pursuit of European Union membership, though "with such a delay," while urging Hungary to reconsider its opposition to Ukraine’s negotiations.
"Finally, we are hearing signals from Russia that they are already accepting Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. It is a pity that they are accepting reality with such a delay," Zelenskyy said at a press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa, according to Ukrainian media.
He noted that Moscow had resisted the idea since 2013.
"But now some other great friends of Russia in Europe need to hear this. Even if Putin does not object, the positions of some countries, especially Hungary, regarding clusters of negotiations look really strange," he said.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Beijing, following talks with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, that Russia does not oppose Ukraine’s EU membership.
NATO membership opposition
He said, however, that Moscow maintains its firm opposition to Kiev joining NATO.
Putin stressed that Russia draws a distinction between the two organisations, framing NATO as a direct security threat while portraying the EU as an economic and political bloc.
He reiterated his long-standing claim that Ukraine’s 2014 political transition was a Western-backed coup.
Ukraine formally applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly after the war started, and was granted candidate status later that year.
Accession talks have been bogged down by internal EU disputes, including opposition from Hungary, which has vetoed steps to advance Kiev’s bid.
Zelenskyy said Kiev expects full support from European partners.
"It is very important that all our allies and all EU members speak with one voice. The path to Europe is our people’s choice, and it must be respected," he said.
