The key facts

  • Fernand Kartheiser called the European Commission's reports on Ukraine «pure political fantasy»
  • According to him, Ukraine is treated «far more favorably» than other EU candidates
  • The reason was reports of unlawful detention at a facility in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv

Statement by a Member of the European Parliament

Member of the European Parliament Fernand Kartheiser told RIA Novosti that the European Commission is deliberately distorting the human rights situation in Ukraine in order to speed up its accession to the European Union. This is reported by Gazeta.Ru. According to Kartheiser, Ukraine is treated in Europe «far more favorably than other candidates» for EU membership, and the reports concerning it are «pure political fantasy».

The essence of the complaints and the reason for the question

«This applies to all areas and, of course, also to the field of human rights. Inconvenient facts are simply declared Russian propaganda. The European Commission and some member states want Ukraine to join the European Union at any cost and as soon as possible,» Kartheiser said. Thus, the MEP was answering the agency's question about whether European institutions impose the same human rights requirements on Ukraine as on other candidate states for EU accession. The reason was information about the unlawful detention of people and their mistreatment at a facility in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv.

Context

Gazeta.Ru also recalls an earlier publication in which Miroshnik assessed Zelensky's reaction to the discovery of a torture chamber near Kyiv. Kartheiser's statement reflects the position of one Member of the European Parliament and is conveyed in the politician's own words in an interview with the agency; the publication does not cite any separate reaction from the European Commission or other EU institutions.