00:00Deputy Prime Minister, thank you so much for joining.
00:02Before we get into the enlargement conversation,
00:04I'd like to have a conversation with you about this oil pipeline,
00:07whether or not the oil is flowing currently from Russia through Ukraine to Hungary,
00:11which is the precondition Orban has sent to release that 90 billion euros.
00:14What can you tell us this morning?
00:16So that I'm here in Brussels, so I'm not actually, you know,
00:19my hands are not with oil, so that's why I didn't check it personally.
00:23But the letter of our president was very clear,
00:27so that in reply to that of presidents von der Leyen and president Kosta,
00:32that the pipeline will be fixed by estimation last decade of April.
00:39So that's why we hope that our company will do it like literally like today
00:45and we all expected this to be done as soon as possible
00:49because it was also our promise to fix it by this time period.
00:55Yeah, so that's why let's look for an announcement from company,
01:02from our Minister of Energy,
01:03but this is our very like primary, primary task as was indicated in the letter.
01:09And of course, yeah, and of course,
01:10and we've heard from President Zelenskyy when we spoke to him back in November,
01:13he said that this EU loan is a matter of survival for Ukraine.
01:16So what is your timeline in thinking trying to get that money,
01:19that first tranche of money, and when is it necessary by,
01:22just so we can impress very clearly on your partners when Ukraine needs that money by?
01:27Our plan was to have these monies in April, so starting from Q2.
01:34So that's why we already beyond the deadline.
01:36So we have some kind of financing under current instruments.
01:40We speed, like make it faster, the payments,
01:43and we thank European Commission on considering this more flexibilities
01:48for our current Ukraine facility instruments.
01:51But we need this money as soon as possible
01:53because this is a first credit that has essential part of it is for war needs.
01:58So that's why our military spending, especially on armaments, on drones,
02:03are literally a matter of life and death.
02:08So that's why we need this money as soon as possible.
02:10The more or less realistic scenario was June.
02:13We do all our best, and we hope that member states support us,
02:17that we will get this money sooner.
02:19And of course that is very critical, not just in financing the war in Ukraine,
02:23but also sending a strong signal to Russia,
02:24saying that we're in here for the long haul, we're in here for the long fight.
02:27Part of that strategy as well is your main portfolio,
02:30which is joining the European Union.
02:31We have seen some sort of proposals that have been circulating
02:34over the last couple of days and weeks and indeed months.
02:37We've heard most recently from the French and the Germans
02:39who are proposing a sort of associate membership of Ukraine into the European Union,
02:43which seems to sort of give a sort of titular status without any of the benefits.
02:48Is that something that is at all appealing to Ukraine?
02:51You know that when you discuss this here in Brussels,
02:54but to the global audience, it resonates in different ways.
02:58So something that is like delicate, prepared for discussion within council
03:02can resonate in the messages that we got yesterday in the article about these documents.
03:09So our goal is to join the European Union as soon as possible
03:14because it's like our dream as Ukraine, as Ukrainian society.
03:19But as well, this is also a part of geopolitics about security,
03:23security guarantees in their virtue, in their essence.
03:27So that's why for us it is important to say that
03:31we are ready to comply with all requirements of the European Union as fast as possible.
03:37So we got the benchmarks from the EU.
03:40Now we need to open the clusters.
03:41So that's why by the end of this year,
03:43we can really comply with majority of requirements.
03:46And so give me your most optimistic timeline in joining the EU.
03:49And how does the absence of Viktor Orban now bear on that?
03:52Yeah.
03:53So that's why I continue in this topic about clusters
03:56is that if we have an ambition to comply with all the benchmarks
04:03presented to us by member states,
04:04then we believe that it is possible to sign the Treaty of Accession next year.
04:11That's why we are talking about joining the next year,
04:14signing the Treaty of Accession next year.
04:16And then everything will depend on ratifications that can also last for several years.
04:21So that's why our debate between member states
04:24or that French proposal or French ideas, not proposal,
04:27because it was like general suggestions linked to media or German ideas
04:33or our ideas.
04:34We also prepared our non-paper, which is more ambitious.
04:37They all about the same,
04:39how to bring Ukraine as fast as possible to the European Union.
04:43But for us, it is important that all that this scenario
04:46is based on speeding up on absolutely serious classical accession,
04:52not creating any alternatives as it was perceptive from yesterday's coverage of this topic.
04:57And there's been some research done
04:59in how much of these sort of steps taken that have to be taken
05:02have been taken by Ukraine.
05:03I've seen a report that says basically only about 10% has been put for it.
05:07No, no. Thank you.
05:08But I will correct you from the jump.
05:10So that it is,
05:11it was a paper about like 10 points
05:14we agreed between me and Commissioner Koss.
05:16Yes.
05:16It is not about overall assessment.
05:19Overall assessment is more expensive.
05:21So what percent would you give to it?
05:22Now it's jumped already from last week to the 40, I think,
05:27because we adopted two laws from this list.
05:33And also we are going to submit anti-corruption strategies.
05:36So that's why we are moving very fast.
05:38Right.
05:38And you say that your priority is to be a full member of the European Union.
05:41That may not come with all of the privileges on day one.
05:44That is something that will be negotiated as well.
05:46Where are you willing to negotiate?
05:47For example, cap of the agriculture has been a very sort of big focus
05:51for many nations within the European Union.
05:53Could you see a delay to sort of cap funding, for example,
05:55in order to gain accession?
05:56It was, it was from the very beginning, very clear.
05:59We stated even in our paper that the interest of joining the European Union,
06:05as like for Iceland, for example,
06:06they believe that they need to join the European Union now
06:09because of geopolitical circumstances.
06:11And our interest to join the European Union
06:13can lead to the consciousness on our side
06:16that we cannot wait for years to agree all modalities of joining the cap.
06:21We propose from the start that we may join cap later,
06:28maybe eventually in like next generation,
06:31not the generation that is discussed now.
06:33So the next budget, you're saying?
06:35Yeah.
06:36So that's, that's, this kind of approach is possible,
06:39but let's start the, discuss modalities.
06:41And just to have the sort of limit,
06:42we have a little bit of limit on time,
06:43I'd like to get your appraisal of the war in Iran,
06:45the impact that it's having on the battlefield within Ukraine.
06:48There have been sort of reports about delays to delivery of hardware
06:51through the Pearl program.
06:53What can you say about that?
06:54Does that war need to end
06:55before we can really talk about serious peace negotiations
06:57that involve the United States?
06:59So I want to highlight one thing so that it,
07:02and it was highlighted by our president
07:04during his visit to the Gulf so that to share our lesson
07:07that you can save the precious missiles for Patriot
07:12by using more efficient drones that we, that we have.
07:16So that's why for us,
07:17it is important to ensure that we are not artificially create
07:21the deficit of missiles.
07:23And so anti-missile systems that are essential
07:27to counteract ballistic missiles
07:29because Russia is now using a lot of ballistic missiles
07:31that can be intercepted only by Patriot
07:33or only by the systems that are still being developed here in Europe.
07:38So that's the message.
07:39I think that if we are coordinated,
07:41then we can be efficient in deterring all our enemies.
07:46And just, we have about one minute left,
07:47so just very quickly,
07:48how do you appraise peace talks with Russia?
07:50Would you say that we're any closer today
07:51than we were a year ago?
07:53A year ago, yes,
07:55but months ago, no.
07:58I think that intensity is definitely lower.
08:02But the problem remains the same.
08:04It is Russia that doesn't want to be part of negotiations.
08:08And that's why we need to increase pressure on Russia
08:11in order to force it to be part of negotiations.
08:14of that.
08:14That's right.
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