Borrell urged Ukraine to preserve unity and effectiveness of democracy for victory

During his visit to Kyiv, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, touched upon the need for political unity in Ukraine, the implementation of reforms, and the need for effective democratic mechanisms.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that Ukraine should continue to implement reforms, making significant progress on its European path despite the difficult conditions of war.

He also emphasized the need for unity among politicians and society while the full-scale war has been going on for almost two years.

“Ukraine has shown exceptional resilience, exceptional unity of society, and a great consensus among the main political forces on the key goals of the country.

There are political differences; democracy is, of course, about political differences. But unity is the key to your victory,” Borrell said.

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, in his speech to the Verkhovna Rada, devoted a significant part of his speech to the importance of preserving political pluralism and freedom of speech even in times of war.

Borrell recalled the historic decision of the EU leaders to start accession talks with Ukraine, but also reminded them that this requires the country to go through the necessary reforms. He noted that, despite making progress, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Borrell drew parallels between the real infrastructure that Ukraine will need to build and rebuild and the “invisible infrastructure” of democracy, such as the rule of law and political pluralism.

He noted that this is indeed a challenge for the country in a time of war, but Ukraine will have to “win two battles at the same time.”

“There is always a strong and understandable temptation to centralize power and restrict freedom of speech because there is a war going on. But in times of war, the system of checks and balances is even more important than ever. Respecting the rule of law and maintaining a democratic dialogue between the government and the opposition will only strengthen your resilience and the country’s capacity to win the war,” the EU chief diplomat emphasized.

We remind you that one of the conditions for the EU to provide Ukraine with EUR 50 billion in macro-financial support for four years is that Ukraine continues to support and respect effective democratic mechanisms.