Zelenskyy made the remarks in an address to participants at an EU intergovernmental conference in Chisinau as he traveled to France for the G7 summit in Evian. He said Ukraine and Moldova have taken a series of important steps in recent years toward EU membership and that Ukrainians have worked persistently to reach this stage.
He called the opening of negotiation clusters a strong European response to Russian aggression and said it was often felt that Ukraine had to struggle harder than others to advance toward EU membership.
“Ukraine earned the right to move faster,” he said.
“That is the political decision Europe needs today.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to open all negotiation clusters and urged that the remaining five clusters be launched without delay.
“We have done our work. Everyone in Europe knows that. So let’s move forward with opening the [remaining] clusters without hesitation.”
Earlier on June 15, the European Commission said all EU member states formally agreed to open the first cluster of talks for Ukraine and Moldova, calling the move “a defining moment for Europe.”
Ukraine and Moldova were granted EU candidate status in June
2022. In January 2025 the European Commission recommended starting formal
negotiations to align both countries’ laws with EU standards, but the process
was blocked by then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The veto was lifted
in early June 2026 by Hungary’s new government led by Peter Magyar.