Slovakia is ready to support starting EU accession talks with Ukraine – foreign ministry

The government of Slovakia is ready to support the decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine at the December summit, Rubryka reports, citing the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

"Having assessed the reform efforts in Kyiv, we are ready to support the opening of accession negotiations, which will be discussed at the upcoming European Council meeting," said Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok. "However, our eastern neighbor still has a long and challenging path ahead. All necessary measures need not only approval but also implementation and monitoring of compliance."

Korčok also stressed the need to "focus more on finding solutions for a peaceful resolution."

The minister also reiterated the new government's position in Bratislava that Slovakia does not plan to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

"At the same time, we will continue to provide humanitarian support to Ukraine, especially in the areas of demining and preparing energy infrastructure for winter, and concrete steps have already been taken in this regard," said Korčok.

What we know about Ukraine's EU accession

At the December 14-15 summit, EU leaders are set to consider the issue of opening accession negotiations with Ukraine. Hungary vehemently opposes opening negotiations, while Slovakia's position has remained undecided.

Recently, the Office of the President stated that Ukraine fulfilled over 90% of the recommendations of the European Commission.

In turn, the Hungarian government threatened to block the start of accession negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union, citing violations of the rights of Hungarians in Ukraine.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, stated that he had not changed his mind about decisions regarding Ukraine at the EU summit.

In turn, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba predicts that the discussion on whether to open negotiations with Ukraine will last literally "until the last minute" of the summit.

After the meeting of foreign ministers of EU countries, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, stated that Ukraine was a priority and that the EU would not tire of its commitments to support it.