Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is confident that the country’s membership of the European Union is a matter of several years, not decades.
According to the press service of the head of state, he stated this in an interview with German media group Funke.
“This may be unpopular in Germany, but I am absolutely sure that Ukraine will be accepted to the European Union, and this will be a matter of several years, not decades. It is unlikely that any other country shows greater interest in Europe than Ukraine,” Poroshenko said.
He noted that he had set the course for Ukraine’s accession to NATO and then to the EU and that he would resolutely continue the path of reforms.
“All experts confirm that over the past three years, Ukraine has made more progress than over the past 25 years,” he said, adding that “this also concerns the fight against corruption.”
“We will meet the criteria for accession, including in the fight against corruption,” Poroshenko said.
According to him, Ukraine has already set up a “completely independent anti-corruption infrastructure.” At the same time, the president noted that “the basis for bribery and corruption has been eliminated,” although much work still has to be done.
“The energy sector was previously vulnerable to corruption, but now there is an integrated management system, and there is zero tolerance to corruption,” Poroshenko said.
“Ask Western investors. They will confirm that we have made significant progress,” he said.
He also noted that the anti-corruption bodies had the support and confidence of international business partners and expressed confidence that, together with European partners, Ukraine would be able to further reduce the level of corruption in the country.
