Chairwoman of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze met with the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Ministry of Germany, Thomas Bagger.

She expressed gratitude to Germany for its assistance to Ukraine and noted that today, more than ever, this assistance must be even more decisive. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said that Ukraine is closely monitoring developments in Germany, including the collapse of the coalition and Germany’s further support for Ukraine. “We hope that political forces in the Bundestag that understand the need to invest in Europe’s security through support for Ukraine will be able to maintain their majority and form the next coalition,” said the Committee Chair.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze expressed concern about the calls for negotiations with Russia, which are increasingly being heard in the West. According to her, Russia does not seek peace. “I do not see any instruments of influence on the Russian Federation that would force it to negotiate on terms other than those it wants to obtain from this war,” said the Chair of the Committee. She added that if a stable and lasting peace is not established, a military tsunami will cover all of Europe: “If there is not enough pressure on Russia to prevent it from starting new wars, a lasting peace will not be achieved.” It also will not be achieved without Ukraine’s membership in NATO, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze is convinced.

Regarding European integration, the Chair of the Committee stated that Ukraine hopes to open negotiations with the EU under the Fundamentals cluster at the beginning of next year. Currently, the work of the negotiating groups is underway. The Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, according to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, has taken on a coordinating role to establish effective interaction between the Government and Parliament during the work of these negotiating groups. “We are developing new forms of interaction and hope to improve these tools for further effective work,” said the Committee Chair. She also stressed that now, as Ukraine progresses on its path to EU membership, it is important to include additional financial instruments for Ukraine in the future EU budget, which will come into effect in 2028. Ukraine is the only candidate state that is doing its homework under unprecedented wartime conditions. Therefore, adapting certain areas to EU standards requires significantly more resources, including financial support and an additional mechanism for financial assistance. According to the Committee Chair, this mechanism could be similar to the Ukraine Facility financial tool, through which the European Union is currently supporting Ukraine.

Thomas Bagger noted that Germany is entering a period of political transition. However, he assured that this transition would not affect his country's support for Ukraine. He stated that Germany's budget for next year includes funds for this purpose and that discussions are currently underway to potentially increase it.

Mr. Bagger also noted that with the change of leadership in the United States, both Ukraine and Europe are entering a phase of uncertainty. He believes that new decisions by the American administration regarding Ukraine should not be made without the involvement of Ukraine and Europe. Through these decisions, stable and lasting peace on the continent should be ensured.