It is impossible to simultaneously establish the Order of Europe and impose illegal sanctions against the opposition leader – Kniazhytskyi

On the path to membership in the European Union, Ukraine must resolve a number of issues, primarily in the areas of the rule of law, protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms, media independence, and opposition activities. Otherwise, declarations about European integration will have no real meaning.

This was stated by Mykola Kniazhytskyi, a member of parliament from the European Solidarity faction, during a speech from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the deputy, European Solidarity supports the celebration of people who work for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. At the same time, he emphasized that the greatest contribution to the country’s European future today is made by the Ukrainian military.

“Our task is to ensure that the Order of Europe does not replace real European integration for us,” said Kniazhytskyi.

He also stated that European principles are incompatible with political persecution of the opposition. The MP cited the sanctions imposed against the leader of the “European Solidarity” Petro Poroshenko as an example.

Knyazhytskyi noted that the day before, he was present at the court hearing in the case of appealing the sanctions, but the court again did not make a decision. In addition, according to him, Poroshenko cannot obtain a foreign passport due to the refusal, which is explained by a letter from the State Financial Monitoring Service.

“What kind of Europe can we talk about if the leader of an opposition political force is subject to illegal sanctions that restrict his political activities?” the deputy emphasized.

Separately, Kniazhytskyi drew attention to the need to professionally build relations with neighboring states. He emphasized that European integration requires not loud statements, but consistent work based on respect for one’s own values, the rule of law, and the support of partners.

As a reminder, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a report assessing recent developments in Ukraine and its progress in reforms related to the EU membership application process. The document will be put to a vote at the next session of the European Parliament.