Today’s meeting of EU ministers in Kyiv accelerates European integration of Ukraine – Kuleba

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is confident that gathering foreign ministers from the EU member states will speed up Ukraine's European integration.

Ukraine's top diplomat stated this at the opening of the first panel of the plenary meeting in Kyiv together with the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Rubryka reports. 

"This is a historic day. For the first time, the ministers of the EU member states are meeting outside the current borders of the European Union but within its future borders," Kuleba said. "I am convinced that this meeting will speed up the European integration of Ukraine."

The minister stressed that Europe won every time the EU and its member states made unprecedented decisions. He expressed gratitude for European colleagues' resolute and unwavering support of Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale invasion.

"Today, we have no more important goal than ensuring Ukraine's victory. This war must end with a just and lasting peace under President Zelensky's Peace Formula. This is a difficult task. But it is the only way to a free and peaceful Europe," the minister said.

Kuleba added that there were many challenges on the path to creating the European Union. When the founding fathers of the EU and their successors could have given up because the task was too difficult, too expensive, and results were not guaranteed, they still moved forward despite all the difficulties.

"[French politician] Jean Monnet once said: 'Continue, continue, there is no future for the people of Europe other than in union.' We need the same attitude," the foreign minister said. "If you believe in what you're doing, you'll always find the strength to move forward. Russian aggression against Ukraine cannot end in a draw. Aggression must be defeated. The guilty must be punished. Justice, freedom, and dignity must prevail. We cannot afford skepticism, fatigue, half-decisions, or distance. So we continue, continue, there is no future for the people of Europe other than in unity with Ukraine."

As Rubruka reported, an external meeting of the Council of EU Ministers for Foreign Affairs is being held in Kyiv on Monday under Josep Borrell's chairmanship.

On Saturday,  Borrell arrived in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa with an unannounced visit. He visited the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was damaged by Russian rocket fire.

On Sunday 1, the chief of European diplomacy came to Kyiv. During the visit, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, and the new Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov to discuss further military aid from the EU.