Ukraine to hold conference on June 25, launching talks on EU accession - PM

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

The EU-Ukraine intergovernmental conference will take place on June 25. It will formally launch negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, says Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting.

According to him, several historic events this month will change Ukraine and its place in the world.

"The first is the Peace Summit. It is a unique event that starts a real path to a just peace. The second is the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. On June 25, we will hold the Ukraine-EU intergovernmental conference, which marks the formal start of negotiations on our accession," the Prime Minister said.

After that, Kyiv will begin detailed technical negotiations on dozens of different chapters of the future agreement.

"Meanwhile, we continue our integration into the EU in all areas," Shmyhal added.

Negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession

On December 14 last year, the European Council supported the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession at a summit in Brussels.

EU ambassadors approved the negotiation framework for Ukraine's accession to the bloc. The negotiations will begin on June 25.

Polish Minister for the EU Adam Szłapka warned that Ukraine's accession talks with the EU are likely to be difficult, as there are some controversial areas.

Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine Annely Kolk said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU could take less than ten years. It depends not only on Kyiv but also on the other 27 member states.