The Ukraine-EU summit, which will be held on February 3, should become a summit of unity, Petro Poroshenko told reporters in Brussels. During meetings at the headquarters of NATO, the European Parliament and the European Commission, the fifth President called on the partners to provide Ukraine with powerful weapons as soon as possible, and to strengthen sanctions against Russia. Poroshenko also believes that Ukraine should receive an invitation to NATO this year.
Poroshenko emphasizes accelerating the European integration of Ukraine and continuing the necessary reforms, strengthening democracy and the rule of law. “We expect that the Ukraine-EU summit, which will take place on February 3, will be a summit of unity and the European future of Ukraine. Unity both inside the country and unity in the world, strengthening and cementing the international coalition in support of Ukraine,” says Poroshenko.
“This should be a summit of the European future, that is, concrete steps with concrete dates. Do not allow more manipulations with the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court, attempts to deceive our European partners with the independence of anti-corruption bodies, judicial reform, the rule of law and others. We have to build relationships of trust. And my visit to Brussels, this is the first visit in the year of the war, will be aimed at this – to build relations of trust. There is trust, we know how to do it, and we promote and protect Ukraine,” Poroshenko emphasized.
Co-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Ukraine-EU Association, MEP from Poland, Witold Waschykowski, notes: “Ex-President Poroshenko’s visit to the European Parliament is important. We talked about helping Ukraine both militarily and economically and punishing Russia with effective sanctions. Ukraine should also pave the way for deepening cooperation with the EU, for example, in the common European market.”
The President of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, wrote after the meeting with Poroshenko: “I expressed our full and unwavering support for the people of Ukraine, expressing great respect for their unity. Europe must deliver the weapons necessary to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Putin cannot win.”
“We discussed in detail the situation at the front and the priority needs of the Ukrainian army. And also internal development in Ukraine, primarily with an emphasis on Ukraine’s proper implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations for the start of pre-accession negotiations already this year,” Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.
During the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council with the participation of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the fifth President called for speeding up consideration of Ukraine’s application for membership in the Alliance. “I drew the attention of the Secretary General of NATO to the need to speed up consideration of Ukraine’s official application to join the Alliance. Without Ukraine, this transatlantic project will never be completed. At the same time, with Ukraine, NATO will become stronger, safer, and more authoritative not only in the region, but also in the world,” Poroshenko is convinced.
After the meeting with the Ukrainian delegation, the head of the NATO PA Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam wrote: “All together – for Ukraine.”
Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia Ivan Shtefanets wrote on Twitter: “I was pleased to discuss the state of Russian aggression against Ukraine with Poroshenko today. This country protects not only its land, but also peace in the entire EU. In this case, unfortunately, only “weapons will bring peace.”
EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Affairs Oliver Varhelyi notes: “It was a good meeting with the ex-president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to talk about how we can provide further assistance to Ukraine. He also touched on the work of the Verkhovna Rada in promoting the necessary European reforms.”
“We exchanged assessments of the state of implementation by the Ukrainian side of the seven recommendations of the European Commission for pre-accession negotiations and reforms within the framework of commitments regarding the new EU macro-financial assistance program. My position is clear: the war should not be a reason to slow down reforms and erode democratic institutions,” Petro Poroshenko emphasized.
After the meeting with Petro Poroshenko, MEP from Lithuania Andres Kubilius noted: European friends of Ukraine are doing everything possible to convince Western capitals to provide even more aid. Kubilius believes that the arguments of the fifth President regarding the need to invite Ukraine to NATO at the summit in Vilnius are very convincing.
“We regularly meet with President Petro Poroshenko, he is really very experienced. And we appreciate his thoughts on how things are going in Ukraine, in the region and around the world. It is very important for us, because here we are trying to do everything possible to support Ukraine, to convince Western capitals to do much more. We talked about the military situation, what the challenges are, how we can assess Russia’s military capabilities. Of course, they talked very specifically about the recent Rammstein and the theme of “Leopards”. Our colleague from Germany, Michael Gahler, was also present,” Kubilius told reporters.
“The ex-President very strongly argued why Ukraine should receive an invitation to become a member of NATO during the summit in Vilnius. And that’s where we’re looking, how can we help, how can we convince different capitals to support this idea. Our goal is also to promote the integration of Ukraine into the EU, to push the EU institutions to start negotiations. Many things are important, and a discussion with Petro Poroshenko is always very fruitful, as well as a discussion with members of the Rada,” says the MEP.
After a meeting with Petro Poroshenko, a member of the European Parliament from Germany, Michael Gahler, declared his full support for the supply of tanks to Ukraine. As you know, the fifth President calls on partners to provide Ukraine with armored vehicles, long-range missiles, tanks and fighter jets during January-February – before Russia can use a new wave of mobilization for an offensive.
“Petro Poroshenko is a patriot, like all Ukrainians. It is very important to maintain unity both in the European Union with Ukraine and within Ukraine. I think it’s time to show determination in avoiding political division and other issues that can disrupt unity,” Gahler believes.
“There is a broad consensus in the European Parliament and the European Union that we are doing everything possible to provide Ukraine with all its needs – both in the humanitarian, financial and, of course, military spheres. Now we need to supply Leopards and other battle tanks. This is important because Russia is preparing a new offensive. And by this moment, Ukraine should be ready,” the deputy notes.