Lithuania insists on a specific deadline for Ukraine to join the EU. Gitanas Nauseda is convinced that such a goal will give impetus to change.
At the summit of European Union leaders in Brussels, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on European partners to set a clear political goal – Ukraine’s accession to the EU on January 1, 2030.
A UNIAN correspondent reports this.
“I think it is productive to set ambitious political goals. For example, to see Ukraine as a member of the European Union from January 1, 2030. It is difficult, but motivating,” Nauseda said before the summit.
According to the Lithuanian President, setting such a date could help consolidate the efforts of all member states and speed up the negotiation process. He stressed that misunderstandings and delays, which only harm the enlargement process, should be avoided.
Nausėda separately commented on Hungary's destructive position, which systematically blocks the decision on sanctions against Russia and Ukraine's advancement towards the EU. The Lithuanian President expressed hope that other countries will be able to convince Budapest not to interfere with this process.
“One country cannot abuse the instrument of consensus,” he stressed, adding that despite the difficulties, it was always possible to find a common solution.
Nauseda also said that Ukraine should open the first cluster of accession negotiations as soon as possible. In his opinion, by the end of the year the EU should open all six clusters necessary for the full start of negotiations.
The Lithuanian President condemned the selective approach towards Ukraine and Moldova, which have the same ambitions for membership.
“Unfortunately, due to certain bilateral obstacles – you know what I’m talking about – Ukraine cannot open the first cluster of negotiations,” he added.
In addition, Nauseda called on the EU to adopt the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, noting the need to avoid exceptions and mitigation.
“The Russian Federation is only imitating its readiness for negotiations. The package must be strong and consistent,” the Lithuanian leader noted.
Let us recall that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban once again spoke out against Ukraine’s European integration, stating that the country’s accession to the EU would mean the EU’s involvement in the war.
“If we accept Ukraine into the EU, we will integrate war with it. We do not want to be part of a community that includes a state that is at war and poses a direct threat to us. After all, if an EU member state is at war, then the EU itself is at war. We are not happy with this,” Orban said.
In recent months, the Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly reiterated his position, noting Ukraine's economic weakness and the danger of its joining the EU and NATO in the context of an armed conflict with Russia.
