2023-05-09 16:44:43
May 9 is now Europe Day also in Ukraine. While the country had until then celebrated “Victory Day”, on the occasion of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945, like its Russian neighbor, Volodymyr Zelensky chose to put aside this Soviet past to film eyes towards Europe.
On the program to celebrate this Europe Day, the reception of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission in kyiv to discuss potential EU membership but not only…
“Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe”
“The time has long come to remove this artificial political uncertainty in the relations between Ukraine and the EU. The time has come to take a positive decision on the opening of accession negotiations,” said the Ukrainian President during a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU granted Kyiv official candidate status in June 2022 but is calling for further reforms, including anti-corruption. The opening of accession negotiations must be decided unanimously by the Member States following a proposal from the Commission.
“Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of the Europe we celebrate today. In Russia, Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. And now they are trying to destroy them here in Ukraine,” added the President of the Commission, without mentioning EU membership.
If the West promises Ukraine eventual membership of the EU and NATO, Brussels estimates that the talks will take six to ten years after their opening, while Kiev wants a much faster integration.
Shells and cereals
But membership of the European Union was not the only subject of discussion on Tuesday. The Ukrainian president also thanked the head of the European Commission after the EU’s decision to provide “one million shells” of artillery to kyiv, before insisting on the timetable. “We discussed the key issue: the speed of supply and delivery of this ammunition. We already need it on the battlefield, ”he recalled.
Volodymyr Zelensky also brought back to the table the subject of European restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports. “Any restriction on our exports is absolutely unacceptable now because it reinforces the capabilities of the aggressor,” lamented the Ukrainian head of state. Denouncing “strict, even cruel protectionist measures”, the Ukrainian president said he was “disappointed” and called for the “removal of all restrictions as soon as possible”.
Five countries – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania – have adopted measures to protect their own markets from the influx of Ukrainian grain, which has caused a price drop that threatens local farmers. Brussels, which had suspended in May 2022, for one year, customs duties on Ukrainian foodstuffs, deemed these restrictions “unacceptable” in the midst of war.
“The immediate priority today is that the transit of grain takes place transparently and at the lowest possible price. This requires very close cooperation from the different parties,” said the President of the Commission. That’s also joining Europe.
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