President of the European Council Donald Tusk voiced five recommendations to Ukrainian politicians when addressing Ukraine’s parliament in Kyiv on Feb. 19.
“I am not going to interfere in your work, but, perhaps, you will accept my advice, because they come from the heart. I have five of them. First, do not cause excessive harm to each other in the next elections,” Tusk said, speaking Ukrainian.
He also recalled that history shows that internal conflicts in Poland and Ukraine are the greatest gift for a third party.
Tusk warned against the temptation to use the methods of radical nationalism and populism. “If we succumb to relapses of chauvinism both in Europe and in Ukraine, we will inevitably get into conflicts, and selfishness and distraction will destroy our political community.”
Tusk also called for solidarity instead of selfishness, historical truth instead of propaganda. According to him, the danger of the temptation of radical populism is born in a complex with weakness, and Ukrainians have every reason to feel proud and strong.
According to Tusk, it is necessary to protect the fundamental values and not to slip into authoritarianism. “Build a respectable state together,” he stressed, adding that honesty and transparency of power are necessary not because this is a requirement of the European Union, but because citizens demand it.
“Do not stop the positive changes, even if they are painful,” he voiced his fourth piece of advice.
“The fifth and final piece of advice is to believe in young people,” he said.
