Denmark To Encourage EU Membership For Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a European Union meeting. (Twitter/@EU_Commission)

JAKARTA - Denmark will continue to prepare Ukraine to become a member of the European Union in the face of negotiations blocked by Hungary, as the Nordic country takes over the post of President of the European Council from July 1, the European Minister of Affairs said on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, Hungary is blocking and we are trying to put as much pressure as possible there and are also doing everything we can to get Ukraine to continue the necessary reform work," European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre told a news conference in Copenhagen. June 20.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is known to strongly oppose the provision of NATO and EU military aid to Ukraine, saying the country's membership in the EU would destroy Hungarian farmers and the wider economy.

Ukraine itself has started the necessary reforms and is ready to speed up negotiations.

"When we get to the point where we can really open certain chapters of the negotiations, we can be ready to close them very quickly," said Bjerre.

Denmark will also seek to reach an agreement between EU countries on the bloc's planned 2040 climate destinations.

The European Commission plans to propose a legally binding target in July to cut EU-state emissions by 90 percent by 2040, from 1990 levels.

However, due to the government's rejection, Brussels assessed various options, including setting lower targets for the domestic industry, and using international carbon credit to cover a gap of up to 90 percent.