Scholz takes a stand: Excludes Hungary's Orbán to advance Ukraine's EU talks

Prior to the summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that his country vehemently opposes the initiation of accession talks with Ukraine. He justified this stance by pointing out that, according to Budapest's assessment, Ukraine has only met three out of the seven conditions set by the EU for the commencement of accession negotiations, implying there's no justifiable reason to engage in such talks with Kyiv.

In May of the previous year, when the Ukrainian Foreign Minister was advocating in Berlin for the granting of candidate status to Ukraine for the EU, his appeals weren't widely embraced.

- "The consensus among German experts and politicians is that Germany does not want to take the lead," Dmytro Kuleba noted during a conversation with Bild.

- I feel relieved that Germany's political decisions have shifted since then. I remain hopeful that this also signifies a more comprehensive and irrevocable change in Germany's strategy towards tackling significant and intricate issues - Kuleba added.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister conveyed his gratitude to Germany for their military and financial assistance, but stressed - the political clarity concerning Ukraine's EU membership is probably the prime Christmas gift from Berlin, exclaimed Dmytro Kuleba.