The EU needs Ukraine to protect it: Denys Shmyhal

Ukraine's accession to the EU is a strategic step that is, first and foremost, necessary for the European Union itself, as it would strengthen its eastern flank militarily and increase its geopolitical weight globally. The Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized in an article with the Politico.

"russia has already unleashed a war against the EU. This is a multidimensional war, the stages and methods of which the kremlin has been honing in Ukraine over decades. russian president vladimir putin's regime has been looking for cracks in the European house, and when it finds them, it pours boiling water in them or tries to pry them open with a crowbar," Denys Shmyhal stressed.

According to him, russia is trying to sow panic, cause chaos and make citizens doubt their own governments' ability to protect them. 

"This is literally the demolition of the existing order and security architecture in Europe. That is what russia is trying to achieve — including with its support for radical political forces within the EU," urged the Prime Minister.

In his article, Denys Shmyhal accentuates that Ukraine had faced various manifestations of russia’s aggression and knows how to counter them.

"The EU needs Ukraine to protect it," the Head of Government emphasized and added no one understands war better than Ukrainians do.

"It is Ukrainians who have done the impossible by building the infrastructure to produce drones — the "new artillery of the 21st century" — almost from scratch. While no more than 5,000 drones were produced in Ukraine in 2022, the end of 2024 saw more than 1 million FPV drones sent to the front line alone," wrote Denys Shmyhal.

He assures that pairing of the EU's financial capabilities with Ukraine's military experience is the key to further cooperation.

"By agreeing to Ukraine's accession, EU countries wouldn’t just be expanding their own borders and boundaries. They would be gaining reliable defenders with extensive military experience, ready to be the first to take a hit not only from Russia, but from other possible military and political groups on Europe's eastern borders," emphasized the Prime Minister.

In his opinion, the European Union could also benefit economic cooperation with Ukraine as well as the participation in the reconstruction being underway.

"The project of rebuilding Ukraine could become a major factor in the the bloc’s consolidation. We are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars that European businesses could be involved in, as well as the creation of production and jobs both here and in the bloc’s countries," summed up Denys Shmyhal.

Article by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal with the Politico, 14.02.2025