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On 2 June 2026, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, met with Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration; Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Integration of Ukraine to the EU; members of the committee; as well as representatives of the State Border Guard Service and the State Customs Service of Ukraine. During the meeting, they discussed Ukraine’s progress toward European Union membership, the implementation of reforms, and the next steps in the accession negotiation process.
The Minister reaffirmed Latvia’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union (EU) and emphasised the need to formally open all clusters of accession negotiations as soon as possible. Latvia will continue to advocate for a criteria-based integration process for Ukraine, viewing it as a significant contribution to European security and stability.
The discussions focused on Ukraine’s reform process and the progress achieved so far on the path to EU membership. The Minister commended Ukraine’s ability to continue implementing reforms even during Russia’s war of aggression, including the work of the Verkhovna Rada in adopting several key laws in the field of European integration. In recent months, the Ukrainian parliament has adopted legislation on integrating Ukraine’s electricity market into the EU’s single energy market, aligning Ukrainian product standards with EU requirements, and continuing public administration reforms. At the same time, Baiba Braže emphasised that the quality, consistency and continued implementation of these reforms will be crucial to the successful progress of accession negotiations.
The meeting also addressed preparations for the EU–Ukraine Intergovernmental Conference, at which the first cluster of negotiations is scheduled to be opened. In conclusion, the Minister emphasised that, “Ukraine's place is in the European Union, and Latvia will continue to actively support Ukraine's European integration process both politically and practically.”
