Poroshenko at a meeting with EPP MEPs: We must stop Putin together

Petro Poroshenko, who is in Strasbourg, met with members of the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament and EPP President Manfred Weber. Poroshenko thanked the representatives of the largest political group in the European Parliament for their supportof the Resolution on Ukraine .

He called on European partners to put pressure on Putin to introduce a ceasefire, and if that does not work, to implement “Plan B.”

“We have to stop the war, we have to set a condition that if Putin does not accept our common transatlantic demand for a ceasefire, we have to introduce the so-called ‘Plan B’. This means weapons, long-range missiles, intelligence, a hundred F-16 jet fighters, air defense,” Poroshenko explained.

“We cannot surpass Russia in terms of numbers of people. But we can certainly 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 both finance and do,” Poroshenko says.

“Point number three: the defense industry, joint ventures together with unique Ukrainian enterprises give us a serious advantage over Russia and make Europe much safer. In the end, 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 like this 30-40 kilometers with fortifications, with minefields, with effective tools that will not allow Russia to even think about how to violate the ceasefire,” the party leader notes.

“We must influence the use of frozen Russian assets, not just to restore Ukraine, because Ukraine is completely different now. We have a demographic crisis, our heavy industry has been completely destroyed, but we must build a post-industrial Ukraine with a highly qualified workforce, with a unique geographical position as a symbol of a European state,” Poroshenko said.

“We certainly should 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 European independent nation,” Poroshenko emphasized.

“When someone asks what victory means for Ukraine? For us, victory for Ukraine is Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and Ukraine’s membership in NATO, and no one can close this door 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, in two years, in three years,” the leader of the Fr.

As is known, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on Ukraine, which, in particular, talks about 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 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 in which the negotiations on membership cannot be accelerated. First: the rule of law and the judicial system. Courts and the vulnerability of the judiciary to political influence. This is a question of trust in the state. Second: the independence and effectiveness of the anti-corruption architecture. anti-corruption bodies is a direct blow to European integration,” Petro Poroshenko noted.

Third – democracy and parliamentary pluralism . The EP calls for refraining from politically motivated trials and sanctions against opposition representatives, as well as supporting parliamentary pluralism and promoting constructive dialogue between political factions in the Verkhovna Rada , lifting restrictions on international parliamentary diplomacy. emphasizes the inadmissibility of monopolizing the airwaves and pressuring independent media,” Poroshenko stated.

“The European Parliament resolution and the intense debates on Ukraine have proven that the support of our country in the European Parliament remains unwavering, but the speed of our movement towards membership depends not on loud and beautiful statements, but on real democratic decisions and actions in Ukraine. Thank you to the European Parliamentarians for taking into account our numerous proposals and improvements to the text,” the fifth President is convinced.