BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 countries agreed on Friday to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first phase of negotiations set to begin on Monday.
Even as Ukraine continues to fight Russia's invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made EU membership a key strategic goal to anchor his country in Europe's political mainstream.
EU leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in December 2023 but negotiations could not start in earnest due to opposition from the previous Hungarian government to Kyiv's membership bid.
But a new government in Budapest reached an agreement with Kyiv this month on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, paving the way for Hungary to lift its block on the first phase of membership talks.
At a meeting in Brussels on Friday, the ambassadors agreed both Ukraine and Moldova can begin talks on the first "cluster" of policy areas where they have to reform their laws to meet EU standards.
In the accession process, candidate countries negotiate policy "chapters" which are grouped into six thematic clusters, covering areas including fundamental rights, internal market and external relations.
"Today, the European Union took a major step forward," European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.
"At the first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession process," they said.
EU accession negotiations are often lengthy and involve years of work on implementing reforms and meeting European standards.
Costa and von der Leyen said Friday's decision is "a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges. And a signal that the EU's offer of peace, stability and opportunity is unmatchable".
(Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray; Editing by Inti Ladnauro and Alison Williams)
