Ukraine remains confident in the European Union, which remains a reliable ally and will stand by Ukraine until victory. The failure of the EU’s enlargement policy is in russia’s interest. This was stated by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, in her speech at an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday 18 February.

The meeting brought together ministers responsible for European affairs from member states and candidate countries.

In her speech, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that russia’s hybrid aggression against Ukraine began long before the full-scale invasion.

“With the outbreak of a full-scale war, the russian propaganda and disinformation machine began to work at full speed not only in Ukraine, not only in russia itself, but also in Europe and around the world. At a time when reality is being questioned, the world order and transatlantic unity are being undermined, it is important to hold on to the truth. And the truth is the values enshrined in the Treaty on European Union, in our bilateral agreements, in the very essence of our European nations. And at the centre of the struggle that is now taking place in Ukraine is our way of life, our freedom, our ability to remain a democratic country. We are facing a very turbulent period, but I am convinced that Europe is entering it with a strong position,” Olha Stefanishyna said.

She stressed that Ukraine faced uncertainty on 24 February 2022. At the same time, European leaders have confirmed that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union, Ukraine has been granted candidate status, and European countries have assured that they will stay with Ukraine as long as it takes.

“Now, in these turbulent times, we as a nation feel confident because we remain resilient, we keep the front. But we are also confident that the European Union will end this war with us and become stronger. We have no other choice,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

She warned her European counterparts that some of the decisions taken or expected to be taken by the European Union are already being and will continue to be subject to disinformation and manipulation by russia: “We are approaching a very important year of opportunities for enlargement, and every failure, every moment of disunity between member states will be used by russia and other global players to demonstrate Europe’s weakness.”

Background

The formal meetings of the General Affairs Council are organised and held under the presidency of the country holding the EU Council Presidency. Each presidency also organises informal meetings of ministers to discuss initiatives related to a specific topic.