The support of the European Union is important for Ukraine's efforts on a peaceful settlement in Donbas and putting the issue of the return of Crimea on the international agenda. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after talks with President of the European Council Charles Michel in Kyiv.
During a joint statement to the media, the President noted the importance of the visit of the President of the European Council to Donbas on March 2, as Charles Michel was able to see for himself the terrible consequences of Russian military aggression for Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the President of the European Council for his personal interest in the development of relations between Ukraine and the EU.
“I am sincerely grateful to the President, the European Union and its member states for helping the most vulnerable groups of people in Donbas. These include assistance to SMEs, humanitarian aid, investment in vital infrastructure, community support and mine action. It is also important for us that the European Union continues to support Ukraine's efforts aimed at peaceful settlement of the conflict,” the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hopeful that following the European Council’s meeting at the end of March a strong signal condemning Russia's hybrid aggression against Ukraine will be made.
"I do not believe in the return to business as usual in relations between the European Union and Russia without restoring the territorial integrity of our state," he said.
The President of Ukraine also thanked for the consistent EU policy on non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and noted that Ukraine and the European Union equally assess the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea, in particular as regards systemic human rights violations.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that more effective international steps are needed to deoccupy Crimea.
"The issue of Crimea must be put on the international agenda. I took the initiative to hold the inaugural Summit of the Crimean Platform, which will take place in Kyiv on August 23. Its goal is to create an effective mechanism for the deoccupation of our territories and the protection of human rights on the temporarily occupied peninsula," he said.
The Ukrainian President added that he counted on Charles Michel's personal participation in this important event.
Президент України нагадав, що нещодавно ЄС схвалив новий глобальний санкційний режим за порушення прав людини. Володимир Зеленський повідомив, що виступив з ініціативою щодо запровадження таких санкцій щодо тих, хто чинить свавілля в тимчасово окупованому Криму.
"This could be a powerful contribution of Brussels to the activities of the Crimean platform," the President said.
The President of Ukraine also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was another challenge that required solidarity and joint efforts of Ukraine and the EU.
"We have coordinated our next steps, in particular to create an effective mechanism for the transfer of the vaccine from the EU to partner countries," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Charles Michel also discussed the further implementation of reforms in Ukraine.
"Ukraine greatly appreciates the comprehensive assistance of the European Union. We have already made significant progress and have ambitious goals for our near future. Together with Mr. President Michel, we discussed an extremely intensive agenda of relations between Ukraine and the EU," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine remained fully committed to the effective implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU, but also sought to use its flexibility to better join the EU internal market.
“Today we made sure we are on the same page in fulfilling the agreements of last year's Ukraine-EU Summit. These include the revision of the Association Agreement, integration into the European Single Market, the Common Aviation Area Agreement, macro-financial assistance, and the move towards an important "industrial visa-free regime". I am confident that thanks to our regular dialogue with the leadership of the EU institutions and the fruitful work of our experts, despite all the challenges, we will be able to implement what is planned by this year's 23rd Summit that will be held in Kyiv,” the President concluded.
The Head of State also thanked Charles Michel for the frank and fruitful conversation.
For his part, the President of the European Council noted that the European Union supported Ukraine in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the EU has allocated 190 million euros to Ukraine to overcome the pandemic and 1.2 billion euros in macro-financial assistance. In addition, the European Union helps our country get a vaccine from the Anti-COVID-19 Fund.
Charles Michel also stressed that the EU supported the implementation of the Minsk agreements and diplomatic efforts to restore Ukraine's sovereignty.
The President of the European Council thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for implementing the course of reforms. The EU will continue to support Ukraine on the path of reform, in particular in reforming the judiciary.
