Skip to content
Edit post

Zelensky speaks with Moldovan, Georgian counterparts following EU decision

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 14, 2023 10:45 PM 2 min read
President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 24, 2023. (Volodymyr Zelensky/X)
This audio is created with AI assistance

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Dec. 14, Zelensky posted on social media.

European Council President Charles Michel announced earlier in the evening on Dec. 14 that EU leaders had reached a consensus and agreed to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and were "ready to grant candidate status to Georgia once priorities have been addressed."

Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status last June, after which Kyiv was presented with seven criteria that need to be fulfilled to start accession talks with the EU.

Zelensky said he congratulated Sandu, calling the EU's decision a "joint victory."  

The EU's decision as a "new page" for Moldova, Sandu said. "We’re feeling Europe’s warm embrace today. Thank you for your support and faith in our journey."

Zelensky also said he congratulated Zourabichvili "and the entire Georgian people" on the "important decision."

Zourabichvili said she was "grateful to all 27 EU member states for their resolute support towards Georgia's European reunification journey."#

"History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom," Zelensky posted earlier in the evening.

In the weeks leading up to the summit, Ukrainian and Western leaders and officials worked until the final hours to dissuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban from blocking the decision.

Orban said he decided not to participate in the vote, claiming he did not want to participate in "a bad decision."

An EU source told the Kyiv Independent that "Orban was momentarily absent from the room in a pre-agreed and constructive manner."

BREAKING: European Council agrees to open accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova
The European Council has agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, European Council President Charles Michel announced on Dec. 14.

News Feed

11:06 AM  (Updated: )

Poland's Duda arrives in Kyiv to meet with Zelensky.

"Andrzej has been with Ukraine since the first days of the war, always side by side, a reliable ally and a true friend. This is undoubtedly the level of relations we want to preserve and strengthen with Poland," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
6:57 PM

Warfare in Ukraine has changed… again.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains a new modification of the standard first-person view (FPV) drone that already once transformed the way war is fought. Fiber optic cable now used to connect drone operators to FPVs ensures a perfect image and control experience all the way to the target — and cannot be spotted by enemy drone detectors.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.