BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 countries agreed on Friday to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first phase of negotiations set to begin on Monday.
Even as Ukraine continues to fight Russia's invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made EU membership a key strategic goal to anchor his country in Europe's political mainstream.
Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram, thanked the EU and its leaders "for this strong step for Europe". He also congratulated neighbouring Moldova.
"Ukraine is carrying out what is necessary and it is important that the EU is also keeping its word," he wrote.
He said the opening of the first cluster of areas to be discussed in the negotiations "is significant political and moral support for our state and our people".
Moldovan President Maia Sandu was quoted by Moldovan television as telling Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, that her country "has done the necessary work. And we will continue to implement reforms."
EU leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in December 2023 but negotiations could not start in earnest due to opposition from the previous Hungarian government to Kyiv's membership bid.
But a new government in Budapest reached an agreement with Kyiv this month on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, paving the way for Hungary to lift its block on the first phase of membership talks.
At a meeting in Brussels on Friday, the ambassadors agreed that both Ukraine and Moldova can begin talks on the first cluster of policy areas where they must reform their laws to meet EU standards.
In the accession process, candidate countries negotiate policy "chapters" which are grouped into six thematic clusters, including fundamental rights, internal market and external relations.
"Today, the European Union took a major step forward," European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.
"At the first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession process," they said.
EU accession negotiations are often lengthy and involve years of work on implementing reforms and meeting European standards.
Costa and von der Leyen said Friday's decision is "a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges. And a signal that the EU's offer of peace, stability and opportunity is unmatchable".
(Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray, additional reporting by Alexander Tanas in Chisinau; Editing by Inti Ladnauro, Alison Williams and Ron Popeski)
