Ukraine’s president asks EU members to be “frank”

“I spoke openly with Prime Minister Mark Rutte that if the EU does not have room for Ukraine then he should be straight. I am grateful that Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been of great help to us. However, on the EU issue, he remains silent about what we want to hear” – radio RT (Russia) quoted President Zelensky as saying to Dutch television NOS said on May 28.

The statement of the head of Ukraine came after he had just had a phone conversation with the leader of the Netherlands. Earlier, Prime Minister Rutte expressed his support for Ukraine in the context that Kiev is in conflict with Russia. However, Mr. Rutte did not give any indication as to whether Kiev’s application to join the EU would be approved in the near future.

“European membership will help us strengthen our strength in conflict resolution,” said Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: AP

In fact, the Dutch prime minister has previously warned that speeding up Ukraine’s admission to the EU would be unfair, especially for long-time candidates like Turkey and Montenegro. .

Mr. Rutte also said Ukraine needs to implement many reforms before it can be considered a viable candidate. Becoming a candidate at the moment is “far away” for Kiev.

Earlier in May, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune also said that Ukraine could take “15 or 20 years” to join the EU. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned in March that “joining the EU is not something that can be done in a few months”.

When Ukraine’s application to join the EU was not approved, French President Emmanuel Macron invited Ukraine to join the “European Political Community” instead. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disagreed with the proposal of the French leader.

Follow RT, one of the reasons why Ukraine’s EU accession process becomes difficult is due to the problem of corruption. However, Mr. Zelensky flatly denied this.

“How do you know there is corruption in Ukraine? Do you live here?” – President Zelensky asked the NOS reporter and emphasized – “It is true that there are problems, but many other countries have corruption. Many EU countries have corruption. We also need and want to implement many reforms.”

EU sources told Bloomberg last month that a preliminary decision on Ukraine’s candidacy could be made as early as June.

Poland wants the EU to spend more money to support refugees

In order to help Ukrainians who are taking refuge in Poland, the EU said it would support Warsaw 144.6 million euros, according to RT.

However, Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker on May 28 told Polish media that they had not received any money from the EU. Even when the EU disburses, this amount is nothing compared to the billions of euros that Poland has supported refugees. Therefore, Poland wants the EU to give them more money to help Ukrainian refugees.

According to United Nations estimates, more than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring Poland since the February 24 conflict broke out.

An estimated 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland. Photo: RT