Kyiv pressures EU to open accession talks at Brussels summit

Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff warns the ‘Europe puzzle’ cannot come together without Ukraine

Kyiv has increased pressure on the EU to open accession talks at a crucial summit this week, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s most senior adviser warning that without his country “the ‘Europe puzzle’ cannot come together”.

After the European Commission’s recommendation last month that formal membership talks begin, the EU’s 27 heads of government are due to discuss the proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.