Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has called for Ukraine to be given an accelerated path to joining the European Union. His remarks follow an appeal this morning by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, for Ukraine’s potential membership of the bloc to now be “decided once and for all”.
“Poland supports an express path for Ukraine’s membership of the EU,” tweeted Duda this afternoon. “Candidate status should be granted immediately and accession negotiations initiated at once after that. Ukraine should also have access to EU funds for reconstruction.”
Polska opowiada się za ekspresową ścieżką członkostwa Ukrainy w Unii Europejskiej. Status kandydata powinien być udzielony natychmiast, a rozmowy o członkowstwie rozpoczęte niezwłocznie po tym. Ukraina ma mieć też dostęp do środków z UE na odbudowę. To się Ukrainie należy.
🇵🇱🇺🇦🇪🇺— Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) February 26, 2022
Ukraine currently has an association agreement with the EU, signed in 2014. But it is not among the five countries – Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia – that are official candidates to join the bloc, and which have all begun accession negotiations.
Public support in Ukraine for EU membership has grown rapidly since Russia’s previous aggression in 2014, according to polls, and stood at around 60% before the current crisis.
In 2019, Zelensky’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, signed an amendment to the constitution that committed Ukraine to becoming a member of the EU and NATO. Zelensky has subsequently supported that goal and, in a tweet this morning, said it was now a “crucial moment” to “decide on Ukraine’s EU membership once and for all”.
It is a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine's membership in the #EU. Discussed with @eucopresident further effective assistance and the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their free future.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
Previously, in the early hours of this morning, Zelensky had announced that he had spoken with Duda, whom he described as “a real friend of Ukraine”. He also thanked the Polish people “for their effective concrete help in such a difficult time”.
Poland has so far received over 100,000 people leaving Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. The Polish authorities have committed to supporting those and future refugees, and have also sent military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Over 100,000 people have entered Poland from Ukraine since Thursday. "All those who need help will find it," says the head of the border guard
Polish state railways has announced free travel for Ukrainians and tonnes of aid have been donated by the public https://t.co/rUYDSOgwSf
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 26, 2022
Poland has long been a supporter of expanding the EU eastwards. On visits to Tbilisi and Chișinău last year, Duda expressed support for Georgia and Moldova’s hopes of joining the bloc. He has also backed Turkey’s bid for EU membership.
This week, a group of leading public figures – including former NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt – wrote that “the time has come to offer Ukraine an EU membership perspective”.
I just talked with a real friend of Ukraine – President of Poland @AndrzejDuda. I am personally grateful to him, to the Polish people, for their effective concrete help in such a difficult time. Together 🇺🇦 🇵🇱 stronger. Thank you
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
Main image credit: European Parliament
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
