"For us, this is really a Rubicon, a milestone moment," Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka told reporters after talks began in Luxembourg on Monday.
"All Ukrainian society believes that joining the European Union is our dream," he said, according to the Reuters news agency.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, officials launched negotiations on the first cluster of policy areas in which Ukraine must align its laws and regulations with EU standards.
Although Kyiv enjoys broad support from European governments for its reform efforts and membership ambitions, diplomats expect the accession process to be lengthy and complex, Reuters reported.
"While Ukraine is gaining momentum on the battlefield, it is also building its path towards a prosperous and secure Ukraine inside the European Union," EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said, urging Kyiv to maintain the pace of reforms.
"It requires the entire society to come together and seize the momentum that Ukraine is building up," she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged Brussels to accelerate the country's accession process, describing it as "one of the strongest responses Europe can give to Russia's attacks and constant acts of aggression."
"Ukraine has earned the right to move faster," Zelensky said. "And that is exactly the political decision Europe needs today."
He added that Ukraine was ready for negotiations to begin on all remaining policy clusters.
EU leaders agreed in December 2023 to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. However, the process was delayed by opposition from Hungary's previous government to Kyiv's membership bid.
The impasse eased after Hungary's new government reached an agreement with Kyiv this month on the rights of Ukraine's Hungarian minority.
EU ambassadors on Friday approved the opening of negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova on the first cluster of policy reforms required for membership.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP