Kremlin Says Ukraine And Moldova Joining EU Could Destabilize Bloc

Russia said on Friday that the European Union's decision to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova was a politicized decision that could destabilize the bloc, praising Hungary for its opposition to the move.

“Negotiations about joining the EU could take years or decades. The EU has always had strict criteria for membership and it is obvious that currently neither Ukraine nor Moldova meet these criteria,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“It is clear that this is an absolutely politicized decision, the EU's desire to support these countries. But these new members could destabilize the EU, and since we live on the same continent as the EU, we are of course watching this closely.”

At a summit on Thursday, EU leaders agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine, even though the country is in the middle of a war that Russia says it will continue until its goals are achieved.

Other leaders overcame Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's objections by letting him leave the hall while they took the historic step a point Peskov made ironically.

“Waiting until someone goes out for coffee so they can make a decision in their absence if that's true, then that's a unique practice,” he said.

At the same meeting, the EU agreed to grant candidate status to Georgia which, like Ukraine and Moldova, was once part of the Soviet Union.

Peskov said this was also a politicized decision.

“To our regret, (the EU's) desire to demonstrate this political will is very often driven in many ways by the desire to further irritate Russia and antagonize the EU against Russia,” he said.

Because of Hungary's resistance, the summit failed to reach an agreement on a 50 billion euro financial aid package for Kiev.

“Hungary has its own interests. And Hungary, unlike many other EU countries, defends its interests resolutely, which impresses us,” Peskov said.