To ensure Ukraine’s safety, once the war is over, it is important that the country can join the European Union. “The EU adhesion to Ukraine is a guarantee of security”, but “we must actually transform it,” said the European Commissioner to the enlargement Marta Kos.
“We must proceed to maintain the impetus of the reforms in Ukraine, to help our Member States face their concerns and, ultimately, to respond to our largest security challenge from the end of the Second World War,” he said, intervening in the hearing to the Foreign Affairs Commission of the European Parliament.
For the Slovenian commissioner, “we are witnessing concrete progress in the reforms through the plan for Ukraine”, and 36 reform indicators have already been achieved, with continuous efforts regarding judicial reform, fight against corruption, energy, market liberalization, corporate governance and entrepreneurial climate “.
“These reforms, made in the most difficult conditions, are not abstract: they directly support the adhesion of Ukraine to the EU and bring it closer to the union in all senses, from a political, legal and economic point of view” stressed Kos.
The failure of negotiations
The statements come after the failure of the second round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul, Turkey. Yesterday (Monday 2 June) the negotiations lasted just an hour, and only led to a new exchange of prisoners. Vladimir Putin, through his emissary, made a memorandum delivered with Moscow requests to Volodymyr Zelensky to end the conflict, very heavy requests that would actually be equivalent to an unconditional surrender.
Farewell to the occupied territories, neutrality of Ukraine and elections: the conditions of Moscow for peace
“The theme of the conflict regulation is extremely complex and full of nuances,” said the Cremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov today. “Yesterday you saw the text of the Memorandum project that we delivered to the Ukrainian part. Of course, it would be wrong to expect immediate solutions or sensational turns, but the work is in progress,” he told journalists.
Russia now awaits the formal reaction of Ukraine, who has made it known that it needs time to evaluate the document. Kiev has so far rejected the proposed conditions, considered a masked capitulation.
The Kremlin spokesman also answered a question about the event of a face to face between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. “It is unlikely, at least in the near future,” he said. At the moment, there is not even any bilateral contact between Putin and Trump, but Moscow has made it known that the Russian president is “ready for high -level meetings, as long as they are adequately prepared”.
As for the possibility of Russian concessions on the conditions for peace, Peskov preferred not to comment: “Negotiations must take place behind closed doors”.
Negotiations with the USA
Meanwhile, a delegation of high Ukrainian officials arrived on Tuesday in Washington to discuss the “defense support” and economic issues with the Trump administration, including the strengthening of penalties against Moscow.
“Our program is quite complete. We intend to discuss the support for defense and the situation on the battlefield, as well as the strengthening of penalties against Russia,” one of the members of the team, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andriï Irmak, said on Telegram. The delegation coming to Washington also includes the Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko, and officials of the Ministry of Defense.
They will meet “the team of the President of the United States Donald Trump” and other political leaders, said Andriï Iermak. Among the themes on the agenda: the recent agreement achieved with Washington on the exploitation of Ukraine’s natural resources and yesterday’s “results” with Moscow.
