‘Ukraine currently receives enough weapons not to lose the war, but not enough to win,’ Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze

They discussed European integration, military support and Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic course. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze believes that starting negotiations on joining the EU already at the end of this year is a very ambitious but realistic goal. Ukraine must do its utmost to fulfill all the conditions it received along with the status of a candidate for EU accession. She also noted that it’s important to properly build communication between authorities and the society, as well as between European partners and Ukrainian society regarding the time frame of integration into the European Union. It’s also necessary to speak honestly about realistic prospects to avoid exaggerated expectations in the society, said the Chair of the Committee.

They also discussed the Committee's cooperation with French parliamentarians. In particular, the French side could help analyse amendments introduced to Ukrainian legislation in line with the law of the European Union. Such kind of support has been provided by the EU to other candidate countries. Thus, it could help identify problem areas and suggest possible solutions, so that Ukraine could avoid mistakes made by previous candidates.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze called on her French colleague to work with the executive power of France to intensify armed support to Ukraine. ‘Ukraine currently receives enough weapons not to lose the war, but not enough to win,’ she noted and added that, in addition to weapons, the country needs a large amount of ammunition. The Chair of the Committee urged not to give in to Russia's nuclear blackmail and not to be afraid, as Ukraine is not afraid: ‘It is about our survival. We will not stop fighting for ourselves and our land,’ she said.

Regarding Euro-Atlantic integration, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze expressed hope that the NATO summit in Vilnius in July this year will bring real results. In particular, the Alliance could establish a list of preconditions for Ukraine’s membership in NATO after the war. Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade agreed that NATO's doors should be opened for Ukraine, and the message for it should be much stronger than the previous ones.