Charles Michel: "The December summit on Ukraine's accession to the EU will be difficult"

Ukraine is getting closer to the EU, but the EU summit in December, which will discuss, among other things, the enlargement of the bloc, will be "difficult."

European Council President Charles Michel told reporters at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Kyiv, Reuters reports.

"When I say it will be a difficult European summit, it is a fact," Michel said.

The head of the European Council assured that he would do everything possible to ensure that the summit's decision on Ukraine was positive.

However, according to him, "not everything is black and white".

As reported earlier this month, the European Commission has recommended that the EU start accession talks with Kyiv. The decision to start negotiations requires the unanimity of the EU's 27 members, which is not guaranteed given the position of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban opposed the start of membership talks with Kyiv.

In her turn, Maia Sandu called on the EU to "speed and unity" on the issue of Ukraine and Moldova's membership.

"The urgency of these times, marked by war and insecurity, requires us to speed up our procedures," Sandu said in Kyiv. – "Speed and unity are not only a strategic choice, they are a matter of survival and a return to European stability.

For his part, President Zelenskyy expressed hope that a decision would be made by the end of the year, in December, to start negotiations on EU membership.