The European Union announced Friday that it would start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
"The EU Council adopted the general EU positions, incl. negotiating frameworks, for accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova," announced the Belgium Presidency of the EU Council on X.
"This opens the way for launching the negotiations on Tuesday 25 June in Luxembourg," it added.
Commenting on the development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the EU Council and the Belgium Presidency for "their robust political will," on X.
Congratulating Moldova, he said, "We will make the EU stronger together."
"Millions of Ukrainians, and indeed generations of our people, are realizing their European dream. Ukraine is returning to Europe, where it has belonged for centuries, as a full-fledged member of the European community," Zelenskyy added.
In early June, the European Commission recommended negotiations on Moldova and Ukraine's accession to the 27-member bloc.
"This is a big day for Ukraine, Moldova, and the European Union," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on X.
"Becoming an EU member is our path to peace, prosperity, and a better life for all citizens," said Moldovan President Maia Sandu on X, who added that the first round of talks will be held in Luxembourg.
Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia's full-scale invasion of the former in February 2022. Moldova, like its larger neighbor Ukraine, has a breakaway region called Transnistria that aligns itself with Russia.
But the start of talks does not mean the two countries will be joining the EU any time soon: every step of the process requires unanimous agreement among current member states, and several other countries have been waiting far longer.
EU leaders formally recognized Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership one year ago, in June 2023.
They granted candidate status to Georgia in December 2023, at the same time as agreeing to open talks with Ukraine and Moldova.
The other official candidates are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye.
The last country to be admitted to the EU was Croatia, which joined in 2013. Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007 and 10 countries joined in 2004.