Zelensky: Some blocking Ukraine's European integration to get better spots in Red Square

The head of state said this at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel following the talks in Prague, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We appreciate the Czech Republic's support for our movement toward the European Union. This year, we are ready to open the first cluster in the negotiation process. It’s a shame that some figures in Europe are blocking the process. By the way, that’s not for the sake of their own country’s interest, but for the sake of getting a better spot on the podium in Red Square," Zelensky said.

He emphasized that it is important for everyone in Europe that European values ​​dominate, "not the whims of individual politicians."

"We will be grateful to the Czech Republic for supporting such a position at the pan-European level," the president said, adding that Europe must stand strong so that everyone's interests are protected.

As reported, Hungary, using the principle of unanimity in decisions on EU enlargement, is blocking the process of rolling out negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine was exploring various options for resolving the issue of Hungary's blocking of the process of starting negotiations on EU accession and is counting on European diplomacy to engage to this end.