Opening negotiating clusters, strengthening sanctions against Russia, stable defense support for Ukraine, and strong cooperation between Europe and the United States – these are the expectations President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced regarding Denmark’s Presidency of the EU Council in his address at the gala evening marking its launch.
The Head of State congratulated Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her government team on the start of the Presidency.
“We can be confident – this will be a time of strong and principled decisions. And that means – a time of predictability. Predictability has become a rare thing these days. But Denmark is the country that leaves no room for doubt,” the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the importance of reaching all shared goals over the next six months. According to him, the EU must be strong and live up to its promises.
“I hope that during Denmark’s Presidency, the EU accession negotiations with Ukraine will move forward, and the clusters will finally be opened,” the Head of State said.
Among the key goals, the President also named the introduction of tougher sanctions against Russia, lowering the price cap on Russian oil, putting an end to all supplies to Russia of anything used for weapons production, and creating an effective international platform to monitor dual-use exports.
“And we need to cut off Putin and his buddies from money. As long as Russian banks can still operate in Europe and other key parts of the world – Russia keeps ignoring diplomacy. We must push it back toward diplomacy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
The Head of State emphasized the need to ensure stable defense support for Ukraine, build up Europe’s defense industry, and do everything to preserve strong cooperation between Europe and the United States.
“Yes, Europe should rely more on itself – especially when it comes to defense and protecting our people. But it’s always better to be in an alliance than in disagreement. So the next 6 months should bring real progress – to protect our partnerships and make our cooperation stronger,” the President concluded.