Ukraine's full membership in the European Union and NATO is first and foremost a geopolitical decision, and only then a matter of reforms. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a joint press conference with President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda in Vilnius.
"Very often Ukraine's membership in the EU and the Alliance is associated with certain reforms. Reforms are really very important... Many European countries have been reformed before Ukraine. But if we talk openly about the timing, the situation, the war, the situation in which Ukraine is carrying out reforms, I think we are the fastest in Europe today," said the Ukrainian President, noting that he wished no country would find itself in such circumstances.
"We are very fast, we are minimally bureaucratic, we understand the cost of time for us. Because our time is measured by human lives. Therefore, I think that today we are carrying out more reforms than most countries," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
The President of Ukraine also noted that all reforms are being implemented at this pace not because the EU or another organization need it, but because Ukraine itself needs it.
"Without reforming Ukraine, we will not be able to be powerful and strong," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that despite the need to protect itself from aggression and spend large sums on the army's defense capabilities, Ukraine is finding strength to reform and implement major infrastructure projects, including the construction of roads and bridges.
"Therefore, I believe that the issue of the EU and NATO is still partly related to reforms, but for the most part it is a political issue, a geopolitical issue," said the President.
In his opinion, the most important thing is to ensure that the Ukrainian people do not stop believing that the European Union really sees Ukraine as an equal member. According to the President, Ukrainians uphold the same principles as Europeans and have paid a high price for being full members of the European Union.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that many EU countries really support Ukraine's European integration aspirations.
"We have a lot of friends," the President said, expressing confidence that thanks to such states, Ukraine has a European prospect.
