Ukraine achieves EU integration goals set for 2023 – envoy

That’s according to Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, who spoke with UA.TV, Ukrinform reports.

“The main achievement was to keep the unity of the European Union and to keep the logic of relations, the direction of relations between Ukraine and the Union throughout the year. And the logic is to keep the high level of support to Ukraine, I mean military support first of all, secondly economic and financial support, and definitely to keep on track regarding Ukrainian European aspirations, to move forward from the candidate status to the opening of negotiations on accession,” the diplomat noted.

He recalled that the EU leaders took the relevant political decision in December.

He also noted that a “consensus minus one” was achieved regarding the Ukraine Facility, a new financial instrument of assistance to Ukraine.

“I hope that the European Union will be able to build up on this decision and achieve full support of 27 member states to launch this new instrument. If it is not possible, according to my knowledge, the European Commission and member states are now working on the alternative option, which is basically to continue cooperation with Ukraine in that field as it was the case this year, and the main instrument is macro-financial assistance,” the ambassador noted.

The new instrument, he believes, will create a good perspective and assurance that Ukraine will get sufficient support for the next four years, but even if it is not approved, the EU will continue to support Ukraine using the conventional and “well-tested” instrument, concluded Chentsov.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the European Union in December 2023 approved the decision to launch the accession talks with Ukraine.