The European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy, Olivér Várhelyi, reiterated on Wednesday 26 January the EU’s support for Ukraine.
“The message is clear, Ukraine is an immediate neighbour and an essential partner of the EU”, he said at a press conference with the Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanishyna.
Mr Várhelyi recalled the EU’s financial support - including announcements by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday 24 January (see EUROPE 12875/1) - but also in terms of Covid-19 vaccines - the EU and its Member States have provided 4 million vaccines to the country.
Beyond external support, the Commissioner recalled that the country must continue to build its internal resilience by making progress on reforms, including on the judiciary and the fight against corruption. “We have seen significant progress in the reform of the judicial system. The most important issue to be resolved is the election of the special prosecutor“, he explained, adding that the rest of the reform was moving forward.
The Commissioner also explained that he had discussed with his Ukrainian partners how to further deepen sectoral cooperation on the basis of the Association Agreement.
In parallel to Mr Várhelyi's visit to Kiev, a Normandy-format meeting was held in Paris with Emmanuel Bonne, the French President’s diplomatic adviser Jens Plötner, the German Chancellor’s diplomatic adviser Olaf Scholz, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, and the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak. Before the meeting, the Elysée said it was “very encouraging that the Russians have agreed to re-enter this diplomatic format, the only one in which the Russians are involved”, and that the meeting would give a clear indication of the Russian mood ahead of the phone call between the French and Russian presidents scheduled for Friday.
At the time of writing, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also due to speak. EUROPE will continue to follow this story. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)