By the end of this year, Ukraine is to begin negotiations on its future membership in the European Union. Also, the main focus of the work of representatives of Ukrainian diplomatic missions in foreign countries is preparation for joining NATO and specific security guarantees on the way to the Alliance. This was emphasized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his speech during an emergency meeting with the heads of Ukraine's diplomatic missions held in Zakarpattia region.
“This year we must launch negotiations on Ukraine's future membership in the European Union, and Ukraine will be ready for this,” the Head of State noted.
He pointed out that in this direction, the task of all Ukrainian diplomats working in the capitals of the countries and in the EU institutions is to consolidate Europe as much as possible for the sake of common security and development.
“At the end of the year, the decision to start negotiations on our country's accession must be approved by the European Council, and there is no alternative to this,” the President emphasized.
Regarding Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that our country should start preparing for the NATO Summit in Washington right away.
“The task of ambassadors to NATO countries is to work to consolidate all the capitals of the Alliance around common security priorities. It is in Ukraine that security for our continent and for the rules-based international order as a whole is being gained, and this deserves political and legal recognition by all our allies,” he said.
The President called obtaining security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO an equally important task, the package of which will become quite specific in the second half of this year. According to the Head of State, 12 more partner countries have joined the Joint Declaration of the G7 to date.
“This week, we are starting to work on bilateral agreements already, and the first country we are working with is the United States,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed and emphasized the need for further work on the accession of other countries to the document.
In addition, the President emphasized the importance of continuing the neighborhood policy, as in the modern world all free democratic countries need good neighborliness.
“Your task is to create more good neighborly opportunities for our country. To protect our interests, but also to protect the common interests with our neighbors - with all of them, except, of course, the aggressor state and its satellites. Ukraine knows how to be grateful and is grateful to every country, to absolutely all people, to every nation that helped us. But our contribution to common security deserves gratitude as well,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
He believes that Ukraine needs new manifestations of solidarity and new programs of cooperation and long-term systemic support.
In Zakarpattia, the President held an emergency meeting with the heads of Ukraine's diplomatic missions to foreign countries, during which he named five main foreign policy priorities for the next political season.
