European Union agrees to open negotiations to allow Ukraine to join

European Union leaders decided Thursday to begin negotiations with Ukraine to allow the country to join their collective, a turnabout that provides hope for additional support from Ukraine's western neighbors amid Russia's war on the country.

The decision was made at a summit in Brussels among the EU’s 27 leaders.

European Council President Charles Michel called the decision "a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent,” according to the Associated Press. 

Amid such optimism, officials acknowledge the process in which Ukraine eventually becomes an EU member could take years.

Still, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the agreement as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe," the wire service also reports.