Yatsenyuk: During accession talks with EU, one cannot get everything and give up nothing

Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum (KSF), former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016) Arseniy Yatsenyuk states that the date of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is not the priority issue, but the process itself is non-negotiable. He emphasizes that Ukraine’s interests in this process can be secured only through a complex negotiation effort, in which the Polish side can serve as the most valuable adviser.

"The key thing is to end the war and preserve the Ukrainian state, and accession is a bureaucratic process that must continue… The bureaucratic process must be handled flawlessly by the government, but the main task is to preserve the Ukrainian state, so that there will be someone to join the European Union," Yatsenyuk said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He described the European Commission’s report in the annual Enlargement Package, which was published by the European Commission on Tuesday in Brussels, as very positive for Ukraine. "I reviewed the European Commission’s report and, seriously, I want to congratulate us that during wartime the country received very positive assessments. Are there gaps? Yes, there are – but they can be addressed," the head of the Kyiv Security Forum said.

At the same time, he emphasized that discussions about joining the EU or choosing neutrality are no longer subjects for debate. "It was precisely because of such discussions that Putin decided to attack Ukraine. The eternal uncertainty of political forces, as well as of the population influenced by these political forces. A catastrophic story that has haunted Ukraine. What else has to happen in Ukraine to understand that our path goes in only one direction – toward the European Union and NATO, if we want to have our own state," Yatsenyuk said.

When asked how to minimize losses from joining the EU, he replied that "this is a negotiation process." "You cannot get everything and give up nothing. It is we who are asking to join this club, not the other way around, and it has its own rules. The task of the negotiators is to ensure that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It is impossible to eliminate all the disadvantages, otherwise the negotiation process will never be completed. This will be a very difficult process, because it concerns money, competitiveness, market share, subsidies, support programs – in other words, this is extremely complex work," the former Prime Minister added.

And for this, Yatsenyuk emphasized, Ukraine will need the Poles and their experience in order to conduct the negotiations properly.