Baltic, Nordic leaders support opening all 6 EU negotiating clusters for Ukraine
The eight prime ministers of the Baltic and Nordic countries on Tuesday said they backed the opening of European Union accession negotiations for Ukraine this summer.
In a joint statement after the NB8 summit in Tallinn, leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden wrote that they support Ukraine's future in the bloc.
"The future of Ukraine and its citizens lies within the European Union," the prime ministers said.
"The Leaders welcome the progress achieved in Ukraine's EU accession process and expressed their support for the opening of all negotiating clusters in June–July 2026 without further delay," the statement continued.
The accession process has 33 negotiating chapters grouped into six clusters: fundamentals, internal market, competitiveness & inclusive growth, green agenda & sustainable connectivity, resources, agriculture & cohesion and external relations.
Each cluster must be opened, completed and closed before a country can join the EU, and the process can take years.
"Ukraine's accession to the EU should be completed as soon as possible, while honouring the merit-based approach. Ukraine's EU membership is one of the key security guarantees both for Ukraine and Europe," the document said.
Zelenskyy expects EU decision in July
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects the European Union to make decisions on opening all six negotiation clusters during its upcoming meetings.
Following a meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis in Tallinn on Tuesday, Zelenskyy wrote in the Telegram messaging app that he expected "strong political decisions by the European Union" this summer.
"Ukraine has done everything necessary to open six clusters in the membership negotiations, and it is now, at the upcoming European Union meetings, that decisions on this should be made. There are no obstacles. And it is important that this progress is made – that the clusters are opened – and that the Russians also see that Europe keeps its promises and does not give up its interests," he said.
On June 4, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council said that the Council had officially begun the process of opening Cluster 1 (Fundamentals) in accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
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Editor: Helen Wright
