Ukraine’s EU membership, in the context of Russia’s invasion of the country, has become a “question of war or peace”, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday.
“I want to emphasize that Ukraine’s EU membership is a matter of war or peace in Europe,” Kouleba said at a press conference in kyiv with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.
“One of the reasons why the war started is that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was convinced that Europe didn’t need Ukraine,” he said.
If the Europeans put an end to their “ambiguities about Ukraine’s prospects” to integrate the EU, Moscow “will give up its attempts to regain (control) of Ukraine”, he estimated.
Brussels intends to give its opinion in June on whether Ukraine will obtain EU candidate status.
The Ukrainian minister also welcomed Berlin’s “change of position” in its foreign policy vis-à-vis Moscow since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“I would like to thank Germany for changing its position on a number of issues,” including its “traditional policy towards Russia,” Kouleba said.
“Germany has changed its position on arms supplies to Ukraine and Chancellor Scholz has announced the start of a new policy towards Russia”, underlined the minister, qualifying him as “great historic turning point” the “fact that Germany defends the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”.
He said he was “grateful” to Berlin “for supporting the introduction of a Russian oil embargo”.
“We understand that it was a difficult decision for Germany, but (it) accepted it”, he rejoiced. She realized that it was “impossible to continue with the European Union, which, on the one hand, supported us, and on the other, financed the Russian military machine. […] by buying Russian oil and gas”.
Mr. Kouleba was also pleased to have had on Tuesday “a very substantial conversation on armaments, sanctions and the European integration of Ukraine” with Ms. Baerbock. The minister was on an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday, the first by a member of the German government since the start of the Russian invasion.
Mr. Kouleba and Ms. Baerbock previously spoke with their Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, as well as Volodymyr Zelensky, during a joint meeting, according to images released by the Ukrainian presidency.