Andrii Sybiha and Radoslaw Sikorski discussed further defense cooperation and key steps of the Allies to strengthen Ukraine

The EU's long-term budget planning and other strategic decisions should already take into account the political reality of Ukraine's future membership.

This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha on September 13 during a press conference in the course of the visit of Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to Ukraine.

“We expect significant progress in negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership during the Polish presidency in the first half of next year. We are also counting on the parallel opening of negotiation clusters,” the Minister said.

Andrii Sybiha expressed his deep gratitude to Radoslaw Sikorski and Poland for their continued military and financial assistance to Ukraine and expressed hope for its continuation.

“I welcome the start of Poland’s 45th defense package for Ukraine implementation. We need it to arrive on time so that our soldiers are provided with everything they need. It is equally important to support Ukraine's energy and other critical infrastructure,” the Minister said.

The Foreign Minister stressed that Ukraine and Poland are actively working on the implementation of the security agreement signed by the two leaders. According to him, it concerns the creation of the Ukrainian Legion, the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, and other security issues.

“We are discussing with our Polish partners the use of their air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over the territory of Ukraine. We are making every effort to work with our partners to build a coalition of courage that will create the necessary conditions for this decision,” the Minister emphasized.

The Minister also noted that support for Ukraine's path to EU and NATO membership is in common interest.

“We will jointly promote the need for historic steps towards Ukraine's accession to NATO. It is in our mutual interest, because Ukraine's membership in NATO is a security guarantee for the whole of Europe,” the Minister said.

In the context of granting Ukraine the permission to use long-range weapons of allies on the territory of the russian federation, Andrii Sybiha emphasized that there should be no restrictions on Ukraine's right to self-defense.

The Foreign Minister also emphasized the need to increase sanctions pressure on Moscow to the point of intolerability for the aggressor.

“Frozen russian assets should be fully utilized to support Ukraine. russia must pay for its crimes. Both on the battlefield, legally, and financially,” the Minister emphasized.

According to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, one of the important topics of the ministers' discussion was the development of border and logistics infrastructure, the possibility of increasing railroad communication between the Ukrainian and Polish capitals. 

“We expect the signing of the Ukrainian-Polish Agreement on control at joint border crossing points as soon as possible. This agreement was reached by the heads of our governments during joint governmental consultations, and I am confident that we will successfully implement it,” the Minister said. 

The Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of preventing the blocking of the common Ukrainian-Polish border in view of the huge economic losses caused by such actions for both countries. 

Andrii Sybiha also stated that one of his priorities is to protect Ukrainian citizens abroad. 

“In Poland, which has received the largest number of Ukrainians, we plan to expand our consular presence and help maintain ties between Ukrainians and their country. It is especially important that Ukrainian children preserve their identity, language, and are proud to be Ukrainians,” the Minister said.

The Foreign Minister expressed his hope for further development of allied relations between Ukraine and Poland and constructive resolution of all issues of bilateral development.

“We had an opportunity to thoroughly discuss a wide range of bilateral topics. Our freedom and security are indivisible and we must fight for them side by side. We have enough will, diplomatic talent, and wisdom to solve even the most difficult issues in a good-neighbourly manner,” stressed Andrii Sybiha.