Poroshenko at a meeting with EPP MEPs: we must stop Putin together
Petro Poroshenko, who is currently in Strasbourg, met with members of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament and EPP President Manfred Weber. Poroshenko thanked representatives of the largest political group in the European Parliament for supporting the resolution on Ukraine. He called on European partners to put pressure on Putin to implement a ceasefire, and if that does not work, to implement ‘plan B’.
"We must stop the war, we must set a condition that if Putin does not accept our joint transatlantic demand for a ceasefire, we must implement the so-called “plan B”. This means weapons, long-range missiles, intelligence, a hundred F-16 fighter jets in Ukrainian skies to stop Russian air superiority, and effective air defence," Poroshenko explained.
"We cannot surpass Russia in terms of manpower. But we can definitely surpass it technologically, and we have the tools to put pressure on Putin to stop the war. Point number two is sanctions, and sanctions must be complex and transatlantic. These sanctions must deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war, must reduce Russian exports, and we know how to do this," Poroshenko said.
"Point number three: the defence industry and joint ventures with unique Ukrainian companies give us a serious advantage over Russia and make Europe much safer. Ultimately, it will be much cheaper. Of course, we must talk about security guarantees, but after the ceasefire, because if there is a ceasefire, we can build, just as Russia did in 2023, a 30-40 kilometre deep line with fortifications, minefields, and effective tools that will not allow Russia to even think about violating the ceasefire," notes the party leader.
"We must influence the use of frozen Russian assets, not just to rebuild Ukraine, because Ukraine is now completely different. We have a demographic crisis, our heavy industry is completely destroyed, but we must build a post-industrial Ukraine with a highly skilled workforce and a unique geographical location, as a symbol of a European state," Poroshenko said.
‘We must not accept Putin's blackmail, whether he has the right to veto Ukraine's membership in the European Union or not. Our answer is no, Mr. Putin, you have no right to Ukraine. We are a sovereign, independent European nation,’ Poroshenko emphasised.
"When someone asks what victory means for Ukraine? For us, Ukraine's victory is Ukraine's membership in the European Union and Ukraine's membership in NATO, and no one can close these doors for us. This is necessary for a stable security situation on the continent. And even if it is impossible now, it may become possible in a year, two years, three years," the opposition leader said.
As is well known, the European Parliament has adopted a resolution on Ukraine, which, in particular, refers to increasing aid for weapons production, opening accession negotiations and supporting democracy.
"The European Parliament has provided an honest, objective and friendly assessment of the state of affairs in Ukraine with regard to the effectiveness of democratic institutions, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. The resolution directly identifies the ‘weak’ points of our democracy and reforms, without progress on which membership negotiations cannot be accelerated. First: the rule of law and the judicial system. The EP is sounding the alarm about the paralysis of the Constitutional Court and the vulnerability of the judiciary to political influence. This is a matter of trust in the state. Second: the independence and effectiveness of the anti-corruption architecture. The resolution supports NABU and SAPO and demands their protection from any political influence, the strengthening of ARMA, the restart of the DBR, and the resolution of the issue of selecting judges for the HACC. This is a signal to the Bankova: any attempts to ‘manually control’ anti-corruption bodies are a direct blow to European integration," Petro Poroshenko said.
"Third – democracy and parliamentary pluralism. The EP calls for refraining from politically motivated court proceedings and sanctions against opposition representatives, as well as supporting parliamentary pluralism and promoting constructive dialogue between political factions in the Verkhovna Rada, and lifting restrictions on international parliamentary diplomacy. Fourth: media freedom and civil society. The EP stresses the inadmissibility of monopolising the airwaves and putting pressure on independent media," Poroshenko stated.
"The European Parliament's resolution and intense debates on Ukraine have proven that support for our country in the European Parliament remains unwavering, but the speed of our progress towards membership depends not on loud and beautiful statements, but on real democratic decisions and actions in Ukraine. I would like to thank the MEPs for taking into account our numerous proposals and improvements to the text of the resolution. Unity and solidarity are our strength," the fifth president said.