Internal conflicts are the greatest gift for third parties, and Ukraine’s enemies are just waiting for any excuse to break solidarity between Brussels and Kyiv, said President of the European People’s Party, President of the European Council in 2014-2019 Donald Tusk.
“As I said in the Verkhovna Rada on November 19, 2019, just before your election, do not argue too much in the campaign. Your history, just like the history of my country, shows that internal conflicts in our countries are the greatest gifts you can offer to the third country, and you know best who I have in mind. Also, remember that your enemies in Europe are waiting for any pretext to break down solidarity between Brussels and Kyiv. A sharp conflict among you would be such a pretext,” he said in a video message during the Kyiv Special Security Forum on Friday.
Tusk stressed that what Ukraine has achieved so far is a common and incredible result of all Ukrainian political leaders, governments and civil society since 2014, and urged not to compete among themselves who have achieved great results.
“Today I would like to underline with equal strength the need for unity of Ukrainians in the face of the most crucial challenges: Russian aggression, European prospective for your country, internal reforms and the pandemic. When it comes to those issues, there is no place for conflicts among you and for attacking each other, let no one be tempted to use the state and its institutions against internal competitors. If you don’t respect one another, if you devote your time and energy mainly to infighting, you will become an easy target both for the Kremlin and the coronavirus,” he added.
The President of the European People’s Party pointed out the need for judicial reform in Ukraine and the fight against corruption.
“I am congratulating you on the progress of reforming your state, I would like at the same time to appeal to even greater efforts. Special stress must be put on the judiciary, including the reform of the High Council of Justice, and independent recruitment of judges with integrity, and on the fight against corruption, invested interests that is deoligarchisation. I call upon the Ukrainian authorities to waste this unique chance to meet Ukraine’s justified aspirations on its European path,” Tusk noted.
