Will Poland block Ukraine's path to EU? Expert's opinion
Photo: Will Poland block Ukraine's path to the EU during its presidency at the European Union from January 1 (Getty Images)
Poland is unlikely to create obstacles to Ukraine's path to the EU during its presidency of the European Union starting January 1. Even despite statements made by Polish officials, according to the RBC-Ukraine article Why Poland criticizes Ukraine and how it can impact aid for Kyiv.
At this stage, Poland is unlikely to create any barriers to Ukraine's EU accession, Yuliia Shaipova, an associate expert at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, noted.
"All their official statements emphasize that Ukraine must become a member of the EU. While we will resolve all our issues, this will happen after the war. Currently, I don't see critical points that could block our accession process during the legislative screening phase (expected to last through 2025 – ed.)," Shaipova said.
An expert also added that the presidency of a friendly country in the EU still means that Ukraine must do its "homework" on European integration.
Zelenskyy-Tusk talks
On November 20, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
During the conversation, the Polish side informed Zelenskyy that Warsaw is preparing a 45th aid package for Kyiv and is working on the next one. Furthermore, the leaders of the two states discussed expectations from Poland's presidency in the EU Council in the first half of next year.
Zelenskyy and Tusk also agreed to meet by the end of 2024.
