President Zelensky returns from Brussels victorious, no matter how much some political forces and the former president Poroshenko, in particular, do not like it. It is difficult for Poroshenko to accept the opinion that the President of Ukraine Zelensky can be heard and supported by European partners. That they will positively evaluate Zelensky’s activity as head of state and agree on a revision of the Association Agreement with the EU, concrete steps on Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Goods, the resumption of visa-free travel after the pandemic, and readiness to help us get vaccine against COVID-19. And even for the first time in a long time, there were clear theses that Russia is responsible for fomenting conflict in the Donbas.
Of course, the main achievement of the summit was the agreement on the revision of the Association Agreement. And while we are talking about the digital market, environmental protection, the fight against climate change, financial cooperation, revision of the agreement – this is a chance for Ukraine to rewrite it without economic miscalculations laid down by Poroshenko, make it more effective in terms of economic and political European integration and write down in it the task of maximum – Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. It’s all real. During the summit, President Zelensky directly told Charles Michel that “Ukraine is a future member of the European Union.”
We just need to do our homework resolutely and without hesitation and make progress in those areas that are still failing in our country and that the European Union has once again pointed out. These are judicial reform, the fight against corruption and de-oligarchization. These problems are old, they did not start under Zelensky. But I hope that the discussion on corruption and the need to reform the judiciary at EU level should give Volodymyr Zelensky a new impetus to action. It is one thing when the team in the middle of the country tells president about corruption, and another thing – when he receives a signal from the most reliable partner. I am in favor of the EU reminding our authorities more often and louder about the need to fight corruption, then this will become a priority and we will see real results. I think Zelensky understands this, he devoted most of his column on the results of the summit to the issue of corruption, calling it a Ukrainian pandemic.
It should be noted that in parallel with Zelensky’s trip to Brussels, Medvedchuk’s trip to Moscow “for vaccines” took place. President Zelensky should pay no less attention to the maturing of the pro-Russian political force in Ukraine, which is not looking at Europe at all, but at Russia. The existence of such political force is a big problem on the way to European integration, because the ratings of “Putin’s agents” are growing in Ukraine, unfortunately. And everything must be done to strengthen the forces in the country that really see Ukraine as a member of the European Union and are ready to help the president. And I do not mean “European Solidarity”, which is trying to privatize the European integration process for its own PR with the money of oligarch Poroshenko.
The 22nd Ukraine-EU summit is undoubtedly successful. And even the most ardent skeptics should have no doubt that Zelensky is looking at Europe.
Mykola Katerynchuk,
leader of the European Party of Ukraine