The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dimitro Kuleba, has denounced a "second class treatment" by "certain capitals" on the Ukrainian candidacy for the European Union.
"The strategic ambiguity on Ukraine's European perspective practiced by some EU capitals in recent years has failed and must end," the minister said on Twitter. For Kuleba, this attitude only "emboldens Putin" and "hurts the feelings of the Ukrainians."
Kyiv's reply responds to comments earlier today by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said he was not in favor of giving Ukraine a "shortcut" into the EU. "It's not a matter of a few months or a few years," he said during a speech to deputies of the Bundestag, the German parliament.
According to Scholz, "the fact that there are no shortcuts on the path to (Ukraine's) EU accession is an imperative of justice towards the six countries of the Western Balkans", which have long wanted to join the European bloc. They are Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo.
For Scholz, French President "Emmanuel Macron is right to point out that the accession process is not a matter of a few months or a few years", which meant that it was even more important to focus on pragmatic and immediate support.
"Rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure and revitalizing the Ukrainian economy will cost billions," the German chancellor said. "We, as the EU, must start laying the foundations for a solidarity fund financed with contributions from the EU and its partners."
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