Unity for Ukraine: Taras Kachka meets with international U4U network
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka discussed consolidating efforts to open negotiation Cluster 1 “Fundamentals” with a delegation from the global parliamentary network “United for Ukraine” (U4U).
The delegation to Kyiv included parliamentarians from Lithuania, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, the European Parliament, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Also participating in the meeting were Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev and Director General of the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Oleksandr Ilkov.
The delegates reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership. The Deputy Prime Minister urged continued support, noting that Ukraine is ready to begin negotiations on all six clusters by year-end. He also thanked the parliamentarians for their unity, their countries’ assistance, and their advocacy for Ukraine’s interests.
“The European Commission has confirmed that Ukraine and Moldova are ready to open negotiations on Cluster 1. Both countries need this next step for domestic reasons and in the broader regional context. We want the EU to remain united – both in supporting our path to membership and in global efforts to achieve peace,” Taras Kachka emphasised.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that any attempts to separate Ukraine and Moldova on their path to membership are unacceptable and would threaten European unity.
“Under any circumstances, Ukraine will continue on this path, but opening Cluster 1 will further strengthen political motivation for deep transformations in areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions, and anti-corruption efforts,” he added.
In turn, the Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture highlighted the critical role of foreign business readiness to invest in Ukraine.
“A key factor in accelerating Ukraine’s path to EU and NATO membership is obtaining comprehensive security guarantees. A vital indicator of the effectiveness of such guarantees is the willingness of foreign businesses to invest in Ukraine. We need deep economic integration into the markets of not only the EU but also the G7 and the Western world. This will be a core policy of our ministry and the Government as a whole,” Oleksii Sobolev stressed.
A separate discussion focused on Ukraine’s economic development and interstate cooperation in various sectors.
Background
The United for Ukraine (U4U) network unites approximately 400 representatives from national parliaments of Europe, the USA, Canada, and other democratic countries.
U4U was established following russia’s full-scale invasion at the initiative of European Parliament member Andrius Kubilius, now the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space. The network’s primary goal is to consolidate political efforts and pressure national governments and international institutions to provide Ukraine with weapons, strengthen sanctions against russia, and invest in Ukraine’s reconstruction.