The European Union is set to formally launch accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova after the bloc’s member states gave the permission last week.

The start of negotiations will be marked by a ceremony in Luxembourg on Tuesday, June 25 and even though it’ll take years to be ratified , the talks will Ukraine encouragement to continue on their path to leaving Soviet Union practices behind.

The agreement of the bloc’s 27 members was secured last week, despite efforts by Hungary to block the move.

EU accession negotiations will start in earnest after the EU has screened their legislation to assess the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards.

The Ukraine-Russia war has its origins linked to the Maidan uprising of 2014 when protesters toppled then-president Viktor Yanukovych after he reneged on a pledge to develop closer ties with the EU.

Ukraine lodged its bid to join the bloc in the immediate aftermath of the invasion in February 2022. Neighbouring Moldova then followed suit.

“These are truly historic moments. Ukraine is and will always be part of a united Europe,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday..

”Millions of Ukrainians, and indeed generations of our people, are realising their European dream.”