The best response to russia's aggression, in addition to Ukraine's victory on the battlefield, should be the formation of a strong European agenda. This was emphasized by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna during a panel discussion with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Laurence Boone at the second Ukraine-France Forum.

"We are talking about concrete actions related to the future of the EU, readiness to make important decisions regarding Ukraine, including the start of negotiations on EU accession," the official said and expressed hope that France would support this decision.

In her turn, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Laurence Boone noted Ukraine's progress in internal transformations, particularly in the fight against corruption, and emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine on its path to full EU membership: "This is a bilateral process".

According to her, russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has forced Europe to rethink many things: "Rose-colored glasses have fallen from the eyes of many Europeans. Not long ago we said that close business relations are a guarantee against war."

The Minister noted that today it was important to think about how we wanted to see European integration and how we wanted to see Ukraine in the EU.

"Integration into the EU is presented as economic integration. Of course, this has always been an essential factor in uniting for peace and prosperity on our continent. However, it is important not to forget that we started with peace, and only then came prosperity. When we talk about political integration, we must also talk about security integration," Laurence Boone said.

Olha Stefanyshyna emphasized that in the first weeks after russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it had not been known how much military aid would be mobilized, how long this support would last, or whether Ukraine would be able to withstand the economic crisis.

"France then played an important role in uniting countries around Ukraine. After the EU leaders had made the first political decision at the Versailles Summit on Ukraine's future in the European Union, we realized that all 27 EU countries were on our side and would support us as long as necessary," the official said.

She emphasized that this sense of unity had paved the way for Ukraine to obtain candidate status, intensify domestic reforms, and for the EU to make decisions on macro-financial and military assistance, as well as on support for Ukrainian business. This allowed Ukraine to survive the full-scale war.

"The EU today is a separate player in a large geopolitical chessboard. This materializes in concrete decisions. For the first time in history, it has agreed on funding for military aid and is shaping policy on the defense industry within the EU. This is a reality that was not chosen by Ukraine or European countries, but created by russia," noted Olha Stefanishyna.

The second Ukraine-France Forum was organized by the New Europe Center in cooperation with the Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI) in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.