(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Céline Marangé, researcher and senior research fellow on Ukraine and Russia at the Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM) at a conference in Berlin dedicated to Ukraine's European integration, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Some obstacles could prevent the EU integration process from moving forward. The issue of corruption is undoubtedly one of them. If we want to help Ukraine make progress in its path towards the EU and break with post-Soviet disorder, we must be uncompromising on rule of law and civil liberties, even during wartime. Tough love is the best service we can offer Ukraine and its vibrant civil society,” the expert said.

She believes that Ukraine's accession to the EU would have strategic significance. It would mean that the Kremlin failed to reach its goals either in Ukraine or in the rest of Europe. It would mean that this war of attrition has failed to destroy Ukraine to the point that Kyiv would be forced to accept“neutralization” or“denazification.” If Ukraine manages to preserve its full sovereignty after this brutal war and is not forced into an imposed agreement that limits its alliance options or its military capabilities, this will be a victory for Ukraine, the expert stressed.

It would also mean that the Kremlin failed to deter Europeans from supporting Ukraine, despite its strategy of escalation.

According to Marangé, there has been a real shift in perception in France: there is now an understanding that Ukraine's accession to the EU will strengthen the future architecture of European security not only in Central and Eastern Europe, but across the entire continent.

“They (the Russians – ed.) are using an escalatory strategy in all domains, combining strategic signaling, nuclear intimidation, hybrid warfare, information warfare, hybrid attacks to compel us, basically, to stop helping Ukraine. So, if Ukraine manages to survive this war and to be integrated into the EU, it would really be a victory for us as well,” Marangé emphasized.

She added that Ukraine's EU membership would also mean that the Kremlin failed to impose its vision of European security - a vision that, as in Soviet times, is based on the law of the strongest and recognition of spheres of influence. This is why it is so important to defend the principle of sovereign equality of states.

“When Russian authorities declared that they are against Ukraine joining NATO, but they do not oppose its entry into the EU, they are, in my view, just lying,” the expert said, recalling how Moscow firmly opposed Ukraine's EU Association Agreement back in 2013. She also believes that the war against Ukraine is not an end in itself for Russia - it is pursuing a grand design of disrupting NATO and destroying or weakening the EU through its war on Ukraine and through hybrid warfare in Europe.

“If we contend that this is their real purpose, then we need to secure a victory for Ukraine,” Marangé stressed, noting that in her country Ukraine is increasingly seen as the first line of defense against Russia.

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The expert also believes that everyone has become trapped in a war of attrition, and therefore something must be done to break this“cycle of exhaustion.” Moreover, the commitments of Washington to Ukraine's sovereignty and European security are now at stake. This is why, after the incident in the Oval Office, London and Paris promoted the idea of providing security guarantees to Ukraine and creating a Coalition of the Willing.

“I do not think that the Russian president is ready for any serious negotiation, and I think he will continue his war of attrition as long as he can. So, it is important to be very firm with the sanctions on the one hand and, on the other hand, to strengthen our deterrence posture and to be consistent and united in Europe,” Marangé concluded.

As reported, the international conference A Geopolitical Turning Point? – Ukraine and the Future of the EU, organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the think tank Liberale Moderne, took place in Berlin with the participation of experts, politicians, and diplomats from various countries.

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