The European Union (EU) has officially begun accession talks with Ukraine despite its ongoing war with Russia. A delegation from Ukraine will participate in an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg to formally commence efforts to align Ukrainian laws and standards with those of the EU. Separately, Moldova, which applied for EU membership shortly after the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, will join in its own intergovernmental conference to initiate accession talks.

“Ukraine is returning to Europe,” President Volodymyr Zelensky declared after the EU agreed to initiate the talks.

Ukraine must harmonize its laws and standards across 35 critical areas with the EU, covering everything from the movement of goods to the judicial system. Approval from all 27 member states is required to either open or close each policy chapter.

Ukraine aims to achieve EU membership by 2030 but must first undertake extensive institutional and legal reforms, focusing particularly on anti-corruption measures. The country often ranks as the most corrupt in Europe. In recent months, the theft of money to pay for fortifications in the Kharkov (Kharkiv) region assisted in a significant Russian breakthrough.

The EU has exerted considerable influence in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia since 2014, during the Maidan coup. In May, Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-chief of The National Pulse, explained that the Maidan “was an act of war.”

Kassam also commented on recent developments, noting criticism among the Western media-political class of Reform Party leader Nigel Farage as “pro-Putin” due to his view the EU and NATO helped to instigate the war.

Kassam highlighted the “blackout” in British media with respect to criticism of Zelensky.