During a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Petro Poroshenko named two key priorities for the parliament: strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and fulfilling Ukraine’s obligations for accession to the European Union.
“It has been over fifteen hundred days of war. Fifteen hundred days of bitter losses. And at the same time, fifteen hundred days of hope for victory, for peace, and for Ukraine becoming part of the European Union,” Poroshenko reminded.
“Two things are fundamental for our state, things that the Verkhovna Rada must deal with first and foremost. First – strengthening the Armed Forces, providing support, and financing to bring peace closer. And second – the harmonization of legislation and the fulfillment of obligations to accelerate entry into the European Union,” the fifth President noted.
“Ukraine has acquired the status of a candidate country; it was earned by the victims of Mariupol and Bucha and the heroism of the Armed Forces. The parliament must be adequate to take advantage of this narrow window of opportunity so that we realize these possibilities,” said Poroshenko.
“Four months ago, the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission agreed on the so-called ‘Kachka-Kos Plan.’ Ten steps that the parliament was supposed to take. How many steps have been taken during these months? Zero. This is the responsibility of the parliament. How many are on the agenda for today or tomorrow? Zero. We cannot continue to act in this manner,” the party leader emphasized.
“European Solidarity demands that the bills of the ‘Kachka-Kos Plan’ be put forward. Bills on banning Telegram, on creating a Temporary Commission of Inquiry regarding roads, and the incident in Cherkasy. Bills that will allow us to ensure the rule of law,” Petro Poroshenko listed.
“I want to emphasize that the ‘ES’ faction will vote for those bills where we participated. We finally had meetings with government representatives. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada visited us. And where our proposals are taken into account, including the military tax, the votes of ‘European Solidarity’ will support this,” Poroshenko noted. As is known, “European Solidarity” demands that military tax funds be directed into a targeted fund for financing the army.
Poroshenko once again called for the formation of a coalition of national unity and recalled the experience at the beginning of the full-scale invasion when the parliament worked to strengthen the state’s defense capabilities. “Let’s bring back the atmosphere of February 24, 2022,” the opposition leader urged.