E.U. Leaders Agree to Open Membership Talks With Ukraine

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to officially open accession negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc, an important breakthrough for Kyiv as it tries to bolster support from its allies.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, announced the decision on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The move came at a crucial time for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who had just returned from a bruising visit to the United States, where he pleaded for desperately needed money for his war effort that was being held up by political divisions in Congress.

Even though accession in the E.U. will take years, the announcement on Thursday was a symbolic win that was likely to rile President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has decried Ukraine’s European ambitions as a form of aggression.

“This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens,” Mr. Zelensky said on X in response to the news.

The European Union also approved accession talks for Moldova, the impoverished neighbor to Ukraine’s south that is also threatened by Russia. Both nations have struggled to overcome entrenched corruption, which has hindered progress toward E.U. membership.

At the start of the E.U. meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary said he planned to veto an official opening of Ukrainian accession talks, arguing that the country was not ready and that Ukraine’s entry would be bad for the bloc, and for Hungary. But, in the end, Mr. Orban appears to have abstained from the decision to let the talks begin.

Negotiations to join the bloc normally take a decade or longer and involve major reforms to align a candidate country with E.U. rules and standards.

Ukraine is seen as a highly motivated candidate, and its government has been following E.U. requests for reforms. But it will still need to radically restructure parts of its governance and apply a raft of stringent rules in its economy, administration and justice systems to one day qualify for accession.

The next immediate hurdle for Ukraine in the two-day E.U. summit is to secure 50 billion euros — about $52 billion — in proposed aid for the country. Mr. Orban, who has in the past delayed some E.U. sanctions against Russia and is seen as President Vladimir V. Putin’s closest ally in the bloc, said that the aid should come only after Europe-wide elections planned for the summer.

Ukraine can withstand a delay of that length. The E.U. already has funding in place for Ukraine in its current budget, while the $52 billion is earmarked for a new aid package known as the Ukraine Facility that will provide grants and loans to the country from 2024 to 2027.

Even if Mr. Orban were to make good on his threat to block the funds, the E.U. can still create a trust with the other 26 member countries, which have all signaled their approval. But doing so would be cumbersome and would further illustrate the problems that Mr. Putin relishes: cracks in the group’s support for Ukraine.

Critics have said Hungary’s objections to Ukraine’s formal membership talks and long-term funding are best understood as an effort by Mr. Orban to extract E.U. funds earmarked for Hungary. That money has been frozen over its violation of different E.U. rules.

On Wednesday, the E.U. released 10 billion euros, about $11 billion, in such frozen aid. The European Commission, which authorized the release, said it had acted after Hungary had fulfilled demands for judicial reforms. The timing, on the eve of the crucial Ukraine summit, was a coincidence, officials insisted.

Critics decried the move as capitulating to Hungarian “blackmail,” a claim that Mr. Orban rejected. “We are here not to make business,” he said. “It’s not about a bargain. It’s not about a deal. We represent approaches and principles.”

He added: “Hungary does not connect any Hungarian issue to any Ukrainian or other issue.”

As the year comes to a close, pressure is growing in the United States and the European Union to provide more support to Ukraine, despite political headwinds from powerful minorities.

Warnings have accelerated that the support is critical, with Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, saying on Wednesday: “I do not think it’s hyperbole to say that basically the security of Europe is at stake, and therefore the risk of American men and women having to go deal with another massive war in Europe, as we have before, if we don’t work with Ukraine to stop Russia.”

Also on Wednesday, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, repeated Germany’s pledge to double aid to Ukraine to nearly $9 billion next year.

“Putin is still determined to bring Ukraine to its knees by military force,” he told the German Parliament. “And he is counting on international support for Ukraine waning. Unfortunately, one cannot deny the danger that this calculation might work out.”

Even if the United States turns away from Ukraine — if, for instance, if former President Donald J. Trump returns to office — “Europe does not have that luxury,” said Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs.

“We can’t say, ‘We’re tired, and please Russia take some more,’” she said. “I don’t see the Europeans stopping trying to aid Ukraine, even if our aid is not sufficient.”

With the Americans moving into a difficult election, “Europe needs to own Ukraine,” said Ulrich Speck, a German analyst, instead of feeling that “they participate in a U.S. operation.”

“Europe needs to take responsibility,” he said. “The U.S. is not going to do everything anymore.”

On Thursday evening Kyiv residents greeted the announcement of accession talks with a sigh of relief, describing it as a piece of good news in an otherwise somber period for the country.

“It’s a signal that we’re not left out,” said Victoria Titova, 30, in a snow-covered street of central Kyiv. “It means that this country still has a future.”

Many Ukrainians see integration into the bloc as the only way to obtain guarantees of continued support against Russia’s aggression.

“Only the E.U. will be able to protect us,” said Slava Kosenko, 37. “It’s our only chance.”

Constant Méheut contributed reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine.