Vasyl Bodnar: Poles are for Ukraine in EU, but requirements should be met

Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, has commented on the results of a poll showing that for the first time in a long while, the majority of Poles do not support Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Bodnar said in an interview with European Pravda Poles broadly support the idea of Ukraine joining the EU, provided that it meets the same requirements Poland itself once had to meet.

"Poles want us in the EU. But on condition that all the requirements for European Union integration are fulfilled," he said.

Bodnar explained that the narrative shared by both sides of Poland's political spectrum is that Poland made its own way towards EU integration, meeting the necessary conditions, and Ukraine must go through the same process.

He said the Poles' cautious attitude towards Ukraine's EU membership is not really about political support, but about genuine interests connected primarily with agriculture, transport and hauliers, and concerns about having to compete with Ukrainian businesses on the European market in the future.

"Of course, they have their own interests, and we have ours, but that's what dialogue is for," he added.

Bodnar also recommended looking at the history of Ukrainian-Polish bilateral relations.

"The level of support or positive attitude towards Ukrainians has always sat at around 22-23-25%. It has always risen whenever we've gone through serious historical events, whether that was the Maidans [Revolutions] or the start of the war. And now, in the same way, that support is declining – both in terms of support for Ukraine and support for EU accession, because EU accession is, so to speak, part of the 'Ukraine issue' in Poland," he said.

Bodnar said that the recent escalation in Ukrainian-Polish bilateral relations is therefore being reflected in public opinion polls regarding Ukraine.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, has reiterated that Ukraine's current attitude towards its history could become a serious obstacle on its path to EU membership.

In June, Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Ukraine would face serious problems joining the EU if it did not stop honouring figures from nationalist organisations of the past, namely the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

The minister also said he agreed with the idea that there are "certain forces" in Kyiv that do not want their country to join the EU.