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Hello and welcome to this
special edition of Euronews

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now brought to you from Paris.
I'm Anelise Borges.

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As the war in Ukraine continues,
now in its seventh week,

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we are going to look at how
Europe has been responding

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to this crisis. For that,
I'm now joined from Ljubljana

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by the Prime Minister of Slovenia,
Mr. Janez Janša.

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Thank you very much
for joining us here on Euronews.

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Prime Minister, you were among
the first European leaders to travel

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to Kyiv to show your support
to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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You actually took a great amount
of risk taking that train ride

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while the battle for Kyiv
was still ongoing.

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What was your message
to Ukraine then and what...

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Anelise, thank you
for this opportunity.

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Yes, I think it has been
exactly one month

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since I travelled
together with Polish and Czech

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prime ministers to Kyiv.

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We were
the first foreign delegation

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to go there after the start
of the Russian aggression.

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Our trip there
was a message of hope.

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We wanted to tell them
that they are not abandoned.

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I'm very glad that after our visit

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many other colleagues from
other EU member states followed.

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I'm especially glad that
the President of the Commission,

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President
of the European Parliament,

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and High Representative
Josep Borrell

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also travelled there.
That the European diplomats are back

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after Slovenia was the first to send
our charge d'affair back to Kyiv.

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He joined the Polish ambassador,
who was the only one there

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from the EU member states.

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I think that now the feeling in Kyiv
is much better,

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as far as foreign support goes.

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But of course, the situation
is still difficult. I think that

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despite many efforts being invested
in a real support for Ukraine,

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humanitarian, financial, military,
which is especially important...

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I don't think
we are doing everything we can.

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I think that we still aren't
as united as we should be

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to make Ukraine much stronger.

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Sorry, Prime Minister,
that's going to be my next question.

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I'm sorry to interrupt. How has
Europe fared in helping Ukraine?

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Do you think that
there's been enough help,

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a strong enough help
in view of Russia's aggression?

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I think that the European

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reaction to the Russian aggression
was much more united

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and much stronger
than the Kremlin expected.

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But not as strong
as it needs to be.

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Because
at the beginning of this tragedy,

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when Russia invaded Ukraine,

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even though many didn't believe
this would happen...

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Some of our friends in Europe

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didn't believe
that Ukraine would resist,

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they thought that the government
and the president

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will leave the country

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and that the Russian takeover
will be short, brief, within a week.

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I told them
that this would not happen,

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because if a nation
is prepared to defend itself

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and if the political
leadership is united,

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and the Ukrainian leadership
is united,

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there are no differences between
the president, the government

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and the opposition parties.
They are united and this is key.

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Such a nation, especially if it
is a nation of almost 40 million,

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cannot be defeated despite
the might of the invading army.

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I think that now, and this is
the most important question,

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we have to concentrate
on military aid to Ukraine,

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because otherwise
this war will go on,

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and this impacts everything. It
impacts the way of life in Europe.

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Ukrainians are also fighting for us,

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the Russian aggression
will be stopped

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when Ukraine
is strong enough to stop it.

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You mentioned
the visit by Ursula von der Leyen,

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the President
of the European Commission.

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She delivered in a very symbolic
moment that questionnaire

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to President Volodymyr Zelensky
and has repeatedly said

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that Ukraine belongs in the EU.

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But of course, it is not in her power
to approve Ukrainian membership

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nor to suggest that Ukraine
should be integrated.

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This is something that must be
agreed upon by all 27 member states.

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They have disagreed before
on who joins and who doesn't.

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What do you think
is going to happen next?

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Would Ukrainian membership
of the EU really change something

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in terms of the battlefield?

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Well...

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I think it's important.
It's something

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that can change many things,

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including the situation
on the battlefield.

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During the war, the strength
of arms is not the most important,

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it's the strength in your heart.

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In the hearts of the people
who are defending their country.

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Any hope, any strong signal that
they belong to the family helps.

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It's true, as you said,

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that the European Commission
is not a decisive factor.

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Because the enlargement
is linked to the consensus

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of all EU member states.

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This is clearly a difficult issue
for some member states,

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but the vast majority
of the EU member states supports

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the fast-tracked approach
of Ukraine,

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but also of Moldova, Georgia,
Western Balkan countries,

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because we have suddenly
realised that we were very weak

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when looking for answers
to the strategic questions.

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Now, it is obvious that
if the EU doesn't enlarge,

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somebody else will.

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This isn't bringing more peace
and security to the continent.

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When we talk about
the disagreements within the EU,

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we often talk about the leader
of a neighbouring country,

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one of your allies, the President
of Hungary, Viktor Orban.

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How do you see Hungary's
persistence throughout the times

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to support Russia
and their proximity?

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Isn't that in detriment
of European stability and cohesion?

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I don't see that Hungary is
supporting the Russian aggression,

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they condemn the aggression.

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They agreed
with all sanctions,

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otherwise all those packages
wouldn't be possible.

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But they have some problems regarding
minority issues and other things

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with their neighbouring country

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and unfortunately
this is affecting their attitude.

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In my opinion,
when a country is attacked,

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when it is at war,
when people are dying,

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we have to abandon other things
and concentrate on saving lives.

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I don't have a problem
with prioritising this issue.

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But I think that if we are speaking
about the enlargement

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and the European perspective

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of the countries from the Eastern
neighbourhood and the Balkans,

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Hungary was always very supportive
of this issue.

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I know that the Commissioner
for the Enlargement is from Hungary.

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He is doing a good job.

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Very briefly, Prime Minister.
You've recently said

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that he was going to go
as far as possible

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when referring
to Vladimir Putin.

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Is there no stopping
Russia's president?

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Currently,
Ukrainians are trying to stop him.

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If this scenario A,

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which was in some European countries
not only a probability,

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but a certainty...

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When the aggression started,
they thought that Russia

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as a military might would take
Ukraine within a few days,

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maybe two weeks,
but not longer.

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If this scenario is realised,

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then I'm a 100% sure
that the next country

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to be invaded
will be Moldova and then Georgia.

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And then maybe the Baltic states,
because...

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A very bleak perspective there.
Prime Minister, I'm very sorry.

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We are unfortunately out of time.

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I want to thank you for joining
us here on Euronews.

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Thank you very much for your time.
Do stay tuned,

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there's much more to come.
Stay with us.