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Prime Minister Janša in Kyiv: Ukraine is part of the European family

  • Former Prime Minister Janez Janša (2020 - 2022)
On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv.
Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv.

Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv. | Author Urad predsednika Ukrajine

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After talks with President Zelensky, the Slovenian, Polish and Czech Prime Ministers emphasised that they had come to show their support for Ukraine and at the same time called for Ukraine to be granted EU candidate country status as soon as possible.

“We are now here because we admire your courage and your fighting spirt by which you shattered the myth of an invincible Russian army. We are here because your struggle is also our struggle, and because you are not only defending the territory of Ukraine, but also what are known as the fundamental European values, i.e. freedom, democracy and the right of everyone to choose what kind of country they want to live in,” declared the Prime Minister at the news conference. He continued by saying: “We are doing everything we can to help you, to help refugees from Ukraine, and we are aware that Ukraine also needs assistance in the form of weapons so that it can defend itself on land, in the sky and at sea.”

"But we are also here to deliver a message of unity within the EU, which is a complex family of 27 Member States. The EU supports your struggle, supports your sovereignty, and this is something that has been achieved in a very short period of time compared to similar situations in history," said the Prime Minister. He also stressed that Ukrainians should remain courageous. "Every path in Ukraine is a European path, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that all these paths also become paths to the European Union, because Ukraine is part of the EU family," said the Prime Minister.

He continued that Ukraine was the country that currently defended European values the most. According to the Prime Minister, the events in Ukraine helped us realise that fundamental European values did exist and that there were still Europeans who were fighting for them and defending them with their lives – and they were doing so in Ukraine.

"Thousands of people are coming to the streets and squares across the European Union to support you. You are not alone, you are part of a family, so stay brave because together we will prevail," concluded Prime Minister Janša.