At a Cyprus meeting before an informal EU summit, he signaled strong support for quicker integration while stressing strict reform conditions and continued pressure on Russia.
The Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Mihal, expressed the view that the idea of Ukraine joining the EU more quickly has prospects, but requires adherence to reform criteria and their implementation.
The remarks came during a meeting in Cyprus ahead of the informal EU leaders’ summit.
Position on an Accelerated Path to Membership
“The future of Ukraine is undoubtedly in Europe. So the sooner we start, the sooner we will reach the result. Ukraine also knows that to become a member of the European Union it must carry out all reforms and take all the steps. But I really like the accelerated way to do this. I hope that it will be so.”
– Kristen Mihal
The politician stressed that he supports the decision to allocate 90 billion euros, as previously planned.
He recalled the memorable night in December when the loan terms were decided, and noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held everyone hostage; in his words, the election signal in Hungary was felt across Europe and demonstrated that the fight against a united and capable Europe within the EU was inappropriate.
“This is now over. And the 20th sanctions package has been adopted, which is very important… The main thing is to maintain the pace and pressure on Russia,” the Estonian politician stressed.
He also noted that the next step is likely to be expansion, including Ukraine and Moldova in particular.
As is known, on April 23, the presidents of the European Council António Costa, of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a trilateral meeting in Lefkosia (Cyprus) ahead of the informal summit of EU heads of state and government.
Thus, Estonia’s position on a faster integration track for Ukraine combines support with reform requirements and intensified pressure on Russia to maintain the pace of euro-integration processes in the region.