00:00The European Union has set the stage for decoupling Moldova's accession process from Ukraine's
00:05after both candidate nations overcame a two-year veto to open their first negotiating cluster.
00:11Speaking at a summit in Brussels on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
00:16suggested a separation might soon be inevitable, stating that every candidate country is ultimately
00:21responsible for its own merit-based progress.
00:23I keep repeating it. It depends on Moldova and the willingness and the capability to do
00:30the necessary reforms. I have not the slightest doubt that they are absolutely able to do this
00:35because we've seen the enormous progress beforehand. And as soon as possible, we will then open
00:41all the other clusters.
00:43The two nations have been informally paired since the beginning of the war, but European
00:47Council President Antonio Košta praised Moldova for delivering reforms quickly, predicting the
00:52rapid unlocking of the remaining clusters.
00:55While Moldova's accession has progressed smoothly with minimal controversy, pairing the two countries
01:00has become problematic due to the complex optics of leaving a country at war behind on the waiting
01:05list.
01:06The issue remains highly sensitive in Kiev, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging EU leaders
01:11to maintain a simultaneous accession process for both countries, with integration seen as
01:16a vital future security guarantee.
01:19Diplomats admit that a formal decoupling is now merely a matter of time, though Brussels remains
01:24keen to avoid a scenario in which Ukraine is held back solely by political vetoes.
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