Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, First Deputy Chair Vadym Halaychuk, and Committee member Dmytro Lyubota took part in a meeting of the COSAC Conference, which brought together the European affairs committees of EU Member States and the European integration committees of partner countries and EU candidate countries. The meeting took place in Copenhagen.

Speaking at the session “A Strong Europe in a Changing World: the course set by the Danish Presidency,” the Chair of the Committee thanked Denmark for a strong agenda focused on Europe’s resilience and security. She stressed that a strong Europe starts with a simple truth: “We cannot be strong if aggression is rewarded.” According to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine has been resisting Russia for twelve years already and has a clear formula for resilience. First, it is strong defence. “Europe needs to scale up faster, coordinate better, and invest more wisely. For our part, we not only need support, we also offer our capabilities, experience, and partnership to build resilience together,” the Committee Chair said. The second key factor of Europe’s resilience, in her view, is sanctions and punishment. “Pressure on Russia must remain steady and effective. Sanctions work when loopholes are closed and the price of aggression rises month by month. And there must be accountability for war crimes and for the crime of aggression, because peace without justice is only a pause before the next war,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said. Third, reparations. Ukraine needs resources to survive and recover, and these resources must come from immobilised Russian assets. “Russia is now desperately trying to prevent the adoption of your decision on a reparations loan. However, I hope you will be able to take this decision and that trust in Europe will remain strong,” the Committee Chair stressed. In her view, the fourth important component of a strong Europe is EU enlargement and unity. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also underlined that no negotiations about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine, just as negotiations about Europe’s future should not take place without European leaders.

During bilateral meetings, the delegation of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU discussed with European partners the need to increase military support as well as energy and financial assistance to Ukraine. They also addressed the domestic political situation and anti-corruption efforts. “I also urged colleagues to proactively defend our common position that ending the war on Russia’s terms is unacceptable. Russia is trying to seize the moment and force us into capitulation, which is unacceptable for Ukraine, for Europe, and for our shared security,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said.