Alexander De Croo: “In this conflict, the adversary is not the Russian population”

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo paid tribute, on Wednesday in the Chamber, to Russian dissidents who “make their voices heard” by protesting once morest Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “In this conflict, the adversary is not the Russian population”, underlined Mr. De Croo before the parliamentarians, meeting in a special committee on the follow-up of missions abroad. For the Prime Minister, it is clear that “not everyone in Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine”. “I cannot believe that it is the will of the population to write one of the darkest pages in history. There are dissenting voices in Russia and I therefore want to pay tribute to all the people who make these voices heard. voice on what is currently happening in Europe.”

Alexander De Croo then recalled that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union was “not on the agenda” but pleaded for an “intensified partnership”. “For me, it is clear that Ukraine is part of the European family, just like other countries, without being a member of the EU. Being a member state implies another level of obligations, for example in terms of anti-corruption legislation and internal market rules.”

“We should think regarding our approach in this matter because, for the moment, the mechanism is too slow”, concluded the Prime Minister, insisting on the importance of forging even closer ties with Ukraine and other countries in the region that look west.