Donald Franciszek Tusk © REUTERS / Yves Herman
According to Tusk, Magyar “honestly and frankly” explained his position at the European Council summit regarding the undesirability of Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the European Union, given the domestic political situation in Hungary. He made this statement at a press conference in Brussels, Ukrinform reports.
“He said, ‘I have already lifted the blockade on the issue of Ukraine.’ This is truly a historic turning point, given the situation in his country,” Tusk noted, adding that the Hungarians have not drastically changed their attitude toward Ukraine.
He also noted that in Poland, despite the prevailing support among Poles for Ukraine in the war with Russia, “there are a growing number of questions regarding certain other aspects of Ukrainian policy,” whereas in Hungary the situation is “even more complicated.”
“I supported the Hungarian prime minister by saying: listen to what he has to say, because he needs help. Figuratively speaking, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Everyone agreed: if we have recognized that Ukraine, the countries of the Western Balkans, and Moldova should have a clear prospect of European Union membership, then this process must be based on objective criteria. In other words, they must fulfill all the requirements set forth in the accession procedure,” Tusk said.
The Polish Prime Minister believes that, in this regard, it is better not to include additional wording in the documents regarding accelerated accession, “since it has no practical significance.”
According to him, “this is somewhat reminiscent of enthusiasm not backed by real possibilities.”
Tusk recalled that he had supported the start of the negotiation process for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, but emphasized that the rules must be the same for all candidate countries.
“Ukraine knows that my support for its European integration is absolutely sincere, but it will be carried out under the same conditions that apply to everyone,” the Polish prime minister noted.
Tusk stated that Kyiv had already enjoyed preferential treatment, as if it were an EU member, without meeting the relevant standards, “and this has hurt Poland.”
