The European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs, Peter Stano, commented on the changes in the Ukrainian government, expressing hope for further good cooperation with the new government and administration. He said this during a briefing on Thursday, UNN reports.
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"We are following very closely what is happening in Ukraine, not only in the context of Russia's illegal aggression against the Ukrainian people, but also the internal developments in the political landscape, and we have noticed the recent reshuffle in the Ukrainian government in several key government positions," Stano said, noting that "this is not something for the EU to comment on.
"Let me just remind you that it is important for us to have good and reliable partners on the other side. Ukraine is a candidate country for EU membership,... Ukraine is a country that is fighting for survival, fighting to defend itself, of course, it is in our interest to have a functional administration, and we are looking forward to the new composition of this administration. But again, who holds what positions in the country's administration is a sovereign decision of the country and its authorities," the European Commission spokesman said.
Stano pointed out that "we have all heard President Zelensky's explanation for this reshuffle.
"As I said, we want to continue the very good cooperation that we had with the previous administration, and we look forward to at least as good cooperation with the new ministers, with the new members of this administration as we had before, because it is in our mutual interest," he emphasized.
At the same time, Stano noted that "they have no obligation to inform us, they have no obligation to consult us." "We will continue to support Ukraine, we will consider Ukraine as an EU candidate country as long as Ukraine fulfills all the necessary principles and criteria, and we have no reason to think that they will not," the European Commission spokesman emphasized.
Commenting on Kuleba's dismissal, Stano noted that when it comes to Minister Kuleba, he can only recall the gratitude expressed to Kuleba by EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell "for everything he has done for Ukraine and for everything they have done together.
"There has been very frequent communication and coordination between High Representative Borrell and Foreign Minister Kuleba, and we can only praise Kuleba for everything he has done during the challenges and a very difficult period for Ukraine," the European Commission spokesperson said.
White House: personnel changes in the Ukrainian government will not affect US support05.09.24, 14:33