Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held video consultations with Minister for European Union Affairs of the Chancellery of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland Konrad Szymański.
Ihor Zhovkva expressed deep gratitude to the leadership of Poland and the Polish people for the unprecedented comprehensive support of Ukraine, significant political and practical assistance given the full-scale invasion of Russia.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the expected results of the forthcoming special meeting of the European Council on May 30-31, a cross-cutting issue of which will be Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva and Konrad Szymański spoke in detail about Ukraine’s prospects of obtaining candidate status for EU membership.
"We count on the unity of the European Union around the political decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership at the next meeting of the European Council on June 23-24, 2022. This will be an important strategic decision to ensure the security of the European continent," said the Deputy Head of the Office of the President.
Ihor Zhovkva reminded that, according to the European Union, Ukraine's progress in implementing the Association Agreement is 65%. Therefore, granting the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union will be a logical continuation of the progress of our state on this path.
The parties agreed on the need to approve the sixth EU sanctions package as soon as possible, including an embargo on Russian oil imports, as well as the necessity of international efforts to unblock Ukrainian ports to ensure food security for more than 400 million people.
Separately, Ihor Zhovkva and Konrad Szymański discussed the practical aspects of involving Ukraine's international partners, including Poland, in the reconstruction of our country, which should become a common success story.