Stefanchuk called in Budapest to remove artificial obstacles on Ukraine's path to the EU
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, called for the removal of artificial obstacles to the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union. He made the corresponding statement at the Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of EU Member States in Budapest.
Stefanchuk stated that Russia and the war it unleashed are the main threat to the future of Europe. All other challenges – energy, political, humanitarian – are derivative and depend on whether the aggressor can be contained.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada stressed that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire and the start of negotiations to resolve the war. But this peace must be fair: without any concessions regarding territories, the Defense Forces, and Ukraine's right to its own path, he added.
"I called for the removal of artificial obstacles to the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU; to speak not in the language of lecturing, but in the language of support. Because the Ukrainian people are not students, but warriors who defend peace in Europe," the head of the Ukrainian parliament emphasized.
In his speech, Stefanchuk honored the victims of the Soviet forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of Hungarians and thanked Hungary for recognizing the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people back in 2003.
"Our peoples are not enemies. We are neighbors, partners, friends. And the common enemy is Moscow's totalitarianism, which has always sought to divide us. Therefore, decisive and responsible decisions are needed," he said.
- On February 14, 2025, Hungary blocked the start of the first stage of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union on the rule of law, called "Fundamentals".
- On April 29, Stefanishyna stated that the first official dialogue took place between Ukraine and Hungary to resolve problematic issues due to which the Hungarian side blocked negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
- On May 2, Orban stated that Ukraine's accession to the EU would supposedly destroy the Hungarian economy, and explained the current problems in the country's economy by the influence of the Russian-Ukrainian war.