Polish President Andrzej Duda has called for Ukraine to be given a fast track to EU membership. His remarks follow a call made this morning by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, that Ukraine’s possible membership of the bloc should now be “decided once and for all”.
“Poland supports an express lane for Ukraine’s EU membership,” Duda tweeted this afternoon. “Candidate status should be granted immediately and membership negotiations initiated immediately thereafter. Ukraine should also have access to EU reconstruction funds.
Polska opowiada się za ekspresową ścieżką członkostwa Ukrainy w Unii Europejskiej. Status kandydata powinien być udzielony natychmiast, a rozmowy o członkowstwie rozpoczęte niezwłocznie po tym. Ukraina ma mieć też dostęp do środków z UE na odbudowę. To się Ukraine należy.
🇵🇱🇺🇦🇪🇺—Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) February 26, 2022
Ukraine currently has an association agreement with the EU, signed in 2014. But it is not one of the five countries – Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia – which are officially candidates for membership of the bloc, all of which have started accession negotiations. .
Public support in Ukraine for EU membership has grown rapidly since Russia’s previous aggression in 2014, according to polls, and stood at around 60% before the current crisis.
In 2019, Zelensky’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, signed an amendment to the constitution that committed Ukraine to membership in the EU and NATO. Zelensky later backed that goal and, in a tweet this morning, said now was a “crucial moment” to “decide once and for all on Ukraine’s EU membership.”
This is a crucial moment to bring the long-running discussion to a close once and for all and to decide on Ukraine’s accession to the #EU. Converse with @eucopresident effective new aid and the heroic struggle of Ukrainians for their free future.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
Earlier, in the early hours of the morning, Zelensky announced that he had spoken with Duda, whom he described as “a true friend of Ukraine”. He also thanked the Polish people “for their concrete and effective help in such a difficult time”.
Poland has so far taken in more than 100,000 people leaving Ukraine since the Russian invasion. The Polish authorities pledged to support these and future refugees and also sent military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
More than 100,000 people have entered Poland from Ukraine since Thursday. “Anyone who needs help will find it”, assures the head of the border guards
Polish Railways announced free travel for Ukrainians and tons of help has been donated by the public https://t.co/rUYDSOgwSf
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 26, 2022
Poland has long supported the EU’s eastward enlargement. During visits to Tbilisi and Chișinău last year, Duda voiced support for Georgia and Moldova’s hopes of joining the bloc. He also has supported Turkey’s candidacy for EU membership.
This week, a group of leading public figures – including former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt – wrote that “the time is come to offer Ukraine the prospect of EU membership”.
I just spoke with a true friend of Ukraine – the President of Poland @AndrzejDuda. I am personally grateful to him, to the Polish people, for their concrete and effective help in such a difficult period. Together 🇺🇦 🇵🇱 stronger. Thank you
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
Main image credit: European Parliament
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written about Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Police, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.