“Europe as a Task” Forum in Prague: Two Presidents Called for Ukraine’s EU Membership
The Presidents of the Czech Republic and Finland, Petr Pavel and Alexander Stubb, called for the fastest possible integration of Ukraine into the EU at the international conference “Europe as a Task” in Prague. This was reported by Volodymyr Yelchenko, Head of International Policy Research at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, who attended the event at the organizers’ invitation.
Pavel: Europe Is Not Strong Enough or United Enough
Czech President Petr Pavel stressed that the EU today is not as strong and united as the current situation demands. Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, in his words, demonstrated the need for urgent rearmament and strengthening of Europe’s defence potential.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine shows that we need to urgently accelerate rearmament in the defence sector, deepen real cooperation in the defence industry, MIC and, finally, completely abandon energy dependence on Russia,” Pavel said.
Stubb: Ukraine’s Military Potential Must Work for Collective Security
Finnish President Alexander Stubb emphasized that the EU was historically created as an instrument for preventing wars and guaranteeing stability on the continent. Although the project proved successful economically, Europe faced a serious challenge due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Stubb stated that the EU cannot ignore security threats simply because they come from countries that are not yet members of the Union. He called for the fastest possible integration of Ukraine, Moldova and other EU candidate countries, stressing that this would strengthen the collective capacity to resist Russian aggression.
“The enormous military potential Ukraine has acquired must work for the collective security of the EU. We must leave behind pessimism regarding Ukraine’s EU membership,” Stubb noted.
Yelchenko: The Largest Member States Must Be Convinced
Details of the Prague visit were shared by Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Volodymyr Yelchenko — Head of International Policy Research at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, former Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN and the UN Security Council, as well as former Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA, Russia and Austria.
“The Presidents of the Czech Republic and Finland are true friends of Ukraine, and the position of both — like that of our other partners within the EU — greatly depends on the speed of Ukraine’s accession process. At the same time, it is necessary to convince others, above all the largest EU member states. Otherwise this process may drag on,” Yelchenko stressed.
About the “Europe as a Task” Conference
The “Europe as a Task” conference is a new high-level international event dedicated to the future of the European Union. It focuses on resolving key European challenges from a global perspective and aims to enrich the discussion about the EU in the Czech context. As we reported earlier, Prague has already served as a venue for important discussions about Ukraine’s future on more than one occasion.
