News

On 27 July, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus spoke by phone with Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and discussed the progress of Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the European Union and the reform process.

The Vice-Minister Mitkus congratulated Chentsov on his appointment and reaffirmed that Lithuania consistently supports Ukraine’s efforts to open all remaining negotiation clusters as soon as possible. The Vice-Minister emphasised that although two negotiation clusters have already been opened, Lithuania’s position remains clear—the remaining clusters must be opened without delay, maintaining the momentum of the negotiations and ensuring that Ukraine and Moldova continue to move forward.

“Autumn will be a particularly important moment in the negotiation process. We must open the remaining negotiation clusters. This will allow us to maintain the momentum of the negotiations, ensure that Ukraine and Moldova move forward together, and properly prepare for the European Commission’s Enlargement Report, which will determine the future pace of the negotiations,” said the Vice-Minister Mitkus.

The discussion also addressed the need to ensure steady progress on reforms, particularly in meeting the interim criteria for the “Fundamentals” negotiation cluster. Lithuania reaffirmed that it would continue to provide the necessary support for Ukraine and would actively work with EU member states to maintain the momentum of the negotiations.

Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s former chief negotiator on EU accession, also participated in the telephone meeting. Mitkus thanked Kachka for his cooperation and wished him success in his new role as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU.