On November 13-14, Warsaw hosted the 5th International Exhibition & Conference Rebuild Ukraine. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka represented Ukraine at the event.

On the sidelines of the international forum, Ukrinform met and talked with Mr. Kachka to discuss the reaction from Ukraine’s international partners to the high-profile corruption controversy involving Ukrainian government officials, further prospects for Ukraine's EU and Euro-Atlantic integration, the "reparations package" and some specific aspects of Ukrainian-Polish relations.

UKRAINE IS IN POSITIVE COMMUNICATION WITH HUNGARY REGARDING ETHNIC MINORITIES

- Mr. Vice Premier, how did international partners react to the corruption controversy involving high-ranking Ukrainian government officials? What messages did you hear from them, and how will Ukraine react to this?

- Reaction from our partners was exactly the same as our reaction to this scandal. On the one hand, this is not a scandal proper, but an official investigation led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), and, accordingly, this is an official criminal investigation.

For us it’s essential that it ends as soon as possible and to the best effect to the Ukrainian authorities. This is what we heard from our partners. It is crucial for us not to wait for verdicts, but to do everything we can to eliminate the underlying causes behind this situation. Two ministers have resigned, and this is common in European political culture.

It was important for us - the Ukrainian government and the all the Ukrainian authorities - that this should happen. We are happy that President Zelensky has stated in clear terms that these ministers have no place in the government. In addition, we, as a government, have taken measures to strengthen corporate governance at Energoatom (Ukraine's state-owned enterprise that operates all active nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the country, – Ed.). We are currently working on the creation of a Supervisory Board that would ensure crisis management. The government has fired or suspended from their positions all Energoatom officials who are present on the wiretaps, according to official information from the NABU. Yesterday, an order related to that issue has been made. We are reacting instantly, and such unambiguousness and clarity of the Ukrainian authorities' position is echoed among our partners.

We heard statements to this effect from Marta Kos (the European Commissioner for Enlargement, - ed.) and other leaders, and I discussed that issue at meetings with colleagues, in particular, members of the Polish government.

We have clearly seen that the Western partners are positively assessing the actions the Ukrainian authorities are taking in response to this crisis. The extent of the problem obviously requires great attention. Indeed, in this given case, we are counting on the assistance in handling this problem from both European institutions and colleagues from other governments. It is important for us to move forward on the path of reforms, integration into the European Union, and to be able to respond to the challenges facing the Ukrainian energy sector.

- How can this scandal impact on Ukraine's European integration process, given that immediately after this, statements were made by politicians unfriendly to Ukraine, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, that this is proof that Ukraine should not be supported?

- It should be noted for that matter that Viktor Orban was the only one to make such statements.

The position upheld by the Hungarian Prime Minister has long been known. Meanwhile, we are working to explain to the Hungarian government that everything should not be perceived in a negative light. And we are seeing signs indicating they are entering into communication. Recently, we have received their comments on our suggestions regarding the rights of ethnic minorities, but this is a separate topic for discussion.

- Are these comments positive?

- Basically, they are. There are no big issues there, but a lot of details. This is a discussion about some aspects arising from both our side and their side.

Regarding the reaction from Western politicians, we heard a pretty unbiased assessment that the government was responding in the way it was supposed to – at the speed of relevance, clearly and unambiguously cleaning its ranks, that anti-corruption institutions are working. This is exactly what was emphasized in the European Commission's report on enlargement, in previous working reports and documents, as well as in the priorities for the negotiation process. Therefore, this controversy is not going to affect the negotiation process as such. It is obvious that, like any corruption problem, it requires an appropriate response. We are reacting and hopeful that this reaction will yield positive results ensuring energy companies are cleaned up from corruption. And we see that both the EU member states and European institutions are ready to support us in this endeavor.

WE ARE WORKING TO GET ALL SIX CLUSTERS READY TO OPEN UP BY YEAR’S END

- How do you see as the prospects for opening up the first negotiation clusters on Ukraine's EU integration: could this happen by the end of this year or, if not, then next year? Or maybe we will still have to wait for the election outcomes in some countries?

- We are currently working to make sure all six negotiation clusters are ready to open by the end of the year.

And we are maintaining this pace, seeing that Ukraine and the European Commission have both gained momentum while preparing the negotiation documents. What remains to be done by Ukraine is to hash out the negotiating position on Clusters Four and Five. The European Commission is also completing work on the last, fourth and fifth clusters, and is submitting them to the EU Council, which will issue its conclusions. Therefore, our task is to reach an understanding with the EU member states by the end of the year so that there will be no interruptions in the negotiation process with Ukraine and Moldova, despite the obstruction (by Hungary, - ed.).

- We will continue to move on in a bundle with Moldova. May that bundle be divided?

- That won’t be case. It is essential for us to ensure Ukraine’s and Moldova’s goal -- to complete the negotiations in 2028 -- is achieved. This has also been recognized by the European Commission. This is our shared priority – of Ukraine, Moldova and the European Union. To achieve this, we need to avoid any interruptions, and this what we actually have to agree on by year’s end. And we see such a huge consensus that even despite the meager chances of Hungary changing its stance, we are continuing this technical work together with the European Commission. All plans, reports, implementation measures – which is a huge amount of work to be done to achieve internal changes in Ukraine – will proceed at a very fast pace.

On a parallel track, we are working on a daily basis with the Hungarian government. And, I hope, we will be able to persuade them to change their attitude faster than anyone can think.

- At the December meeting of the EU Council, a final decision on the “reparation loan” for Ukraine is expected to be taken. What are the expectations for a positive decision? Will it be possible to overcome the resistance from Belgium and Slovakia?

- These are the discussions that are being conducted in each specific context. On Thursday [November13], European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said quite explicitly in her speech to the European Parliament that work on a reparation loan agreement is ongoing.

There are alternative options, but it is obvious that a “reparation loan” is the most effective and evident project. It is very large and complex. Therefore, the fact that a question has arisen from Belgium is only natural. There are also many different aspects that other states are discussing. But at the same time, we see that there is a very constructive movement. In this case, this is the stage where very delicate things are being discussed. Generalized assessments – that “everything is good” or “everything is bad” – do not fully correlate with what is being discussed. What is being discussed, after all, is, indeed, a very subtle nuance.

- What do you think about the European Commission's suggestion that other countries, in particular the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, can also provide "reparation loans" on the same terms as the EU member countries?

- This is not a new suggestion, it has been discussed before at the meetings of the Group of Seven and during the autumn meetings of the World Bank and the IMF. This is a rather important aspect, because sovereign Russian assets are kept frozen not only in Belgium, not only in the EU member states, but also in other countries. The solidarity among all our partners is crucial. Therefore, we support the suggestion that similar instruments should work in other countries that hold significant amounts of frozen Russian assets.

NATO COUNTRIES HAVE INTEREST IN UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE

- You arrived in Warsaw from Brussels, where you attended the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting and also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. What messages have you heard from your colleagues regarding Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration?

- Ukraine and NATO as well are developing relations in a comprehensive way. Among the Alliance, there is a great interest in cooperation in studying the Ukrainian experience.

- For this purpose, the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Center (JATEC) -- a new joint civil-military organization -- was inaugurated in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on February 17, 2025. 

- Yes, this includes that too. There are also other instruments that work. Within NATO, we see unwavering support for the cooperation instruments and assistance to Ukraine, in particular, through the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, – ed.) initiative among others. It is therefore obvious that NATO infrastructure is a very suitable platform for strengthening coordination between the countries that are supportive of Ukraine. All this is increasing in extent, helping to get the right content for and bring closer the ultimate goal - Ukraine's accession to NATO. And we see that, from this perspective, all the countries across the Alliance are willing and ready to advance cooperation with Ukraine.

UKRAINE IS SEEING SPECIFIC WESTERN COMPANIES INTERESTED IN IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS IN UKRAINE

- You attended the ReBuild Ukraine” trade fair & conference in Warsaw, met and talked there with counterparts from Sweden and Estonia among other countries. How do you see the prospects for international cooperation in the context of Ukrainian post-war restoration?

- My meeting with the Swedish Minister of Trade and International Development was really phenomenal. Our meeting took place in a small meeting room, attended by representatives of several Swedish companies. We are seeing specific companies interested in implementing projects in Ukraine. This is exactly what we dreamed of: this is not just part of some kind of diplomatic dialogue between governments, it is filled with specific projects, with the work of specific companies.

Obviously enough, we are developing a toolkit, a set of intergovernmental agreements that provide a framework for coordinating and streamlining the actions of businesses and governments. Projects in Ukraine require insurance against war risks and a certain reduction in the value of money, because the risks of operating in Ukraine are higher due to the war. That is, we have already learned to do all these things differently with different countries. Now we have announced a competition for a financial advisor to the American-Ukrainian Investment Fund, which we created in the spring. That is, everything is moving ahead, filled with practical content. Therefore, every meeting in Warsaw is more about coordination and further steps, these conversations are highly meaningful.

- What practical results are you expecting from the Rebuild Ukraine conference in Warsaw?

- The Ministry of Economy, as the key player in this area, will sum it up. But from what I see, this event is really very successful. Judging at least by the number of participants, it is clear how much this living matter is helping Ukraine to recover, and how it helps here and now.

In 2022, we were focused on rebuilding Ukraine after the war ends. It was a great promise that breathed hope into Ukraine. And now we are using these tools to respond to the crises that Russia is creating by destroying our energy grid.

And we have a multiplicity of intergovernmental financial assistance tools: assistance with specific equipment and the participation of specific companies, the involvement of various investment funds, both state-owned and private. That is to say, we have a very effective toolkit, and it is crucial that we use it to best effect. And this is what the Ukrainian government is doing. We have even reduced our presence here to some extent, because in Kyiv, work is actually underway 24/7 to eliminate crises in the energy sector. Quite obviously, corruption scandals do not make this process easire. But we must not forget that we have blackouts that last for many hours, sometimes for many days, and many cities are facing the risk of being left without water, heating or electricity in the winter. Therefore, titanic work is being done. And it’s very often that this work is being done using all the tools that are being discussed here in Warsaw today.

- This year’s edition of the grand Ukraine Recovery Conference took place in Rome in July, and the next edition is preliminary scheduled for 2026 in Gdansk, Poland…

- Yes, it is being discussed. We have to wait for the official announcement. The final announcement from the Polish and Ukrainian governments is expected soon, in the coming days.

COOPERATION BETWEEN KYIV AND WARSAW MUST BE CEMENTED WITH MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

- You met in Warsaw with your Polish colleagues - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski and Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domanski. What did you talk about?

- The agenda remains unchanged, it is about cooperation in the areas of economy and infrastructure. For Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski and Minister Domanski, these are the number one priorities, and for me, these are also issues of priority. I do believe that our cooperation, Poland's political, diplomatic and military support for Ukraine, as well as the integration of our societies, which, unfortunately, is affected by war in many respects, should be cemented with major infrastructure projects. We are aiming for this together. We have agreed to speed up the setting up of an intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, and to fill it with concrete work.

- When will this commission convene?

- Our expectations are for the first quarter of next year. We want to negotiate very seriously specific steps regarding infrastructure projects, both in terms of the list of such projects, and how to implement them. We are seeing an increased presence of the Bank of the National Economy (BGK) of Poland in Ukraine, we have already submitted a draft agreement (on the status of BGK in Ukraine, - ed.) for ratification. We see how they work, what programs they are advancing, and how this can help Ukraine. There are lots of different projects suggested by the Polish government, and this makes it a priority for all my interlocutors.

I discussed with Polish partners the issues of assistance from NATO as an alliance, in particular operations of the NATO-Ukraine Center in Bydgoszcz among other things. We also paid attention to preparations for the next Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026, - ed.), and how to fill it with meaningful content. I discussed multiple practical things with my Polish colleagues. We are aimed at establishing a basis -- political and physical -- on which to build infrastructure projects in particular. This is our priority, this is number one in addition to the comprehensive support provided by Poland, for which we are infinitely grateful.

- In Ukrainian-Polish relations, the focus is on complicated history topics and economy. In Poland, they often talk about the need to limit imports of certain new products from Ukraine. What do you think of this?

- First of all, we must remember that Poland is exporting to Ukraine more than twice as much as it is importing from Ukraine. The universe of Ukrainian-Polish trade is extremely rich. There is a multiplicity of different sensitive issues there. And today we also discussed the ways to tackle them. Above all else, we must do this through conversations and mutual understanding, before it acquires a political color. We are ready for such conversations both within the intergovernmental commission and in ad hoc formats (on individual issues, - ed.). We see a willingness to do this work. However sensitive trade issues are, they can be resolved. This is my experience, and I am confident it will be so.

The question of history is a topic for separate discussions. I believe that no matter how difficult this issue is, we should focus on the steps that bring us closer to mutual understanding and good neighborliness, to relations like brothers. For me, this is a topic of personal significance. My belief is that, by properly articulating this issue and cooperating, for example, on issues of exhumations, we will find a way to make it no longer perceived as a problem in relations between our societies.

Yuriy Banakhevych led this conversation. Warsaw

Photo via Author