Oleksiy Danilov: The fight against the oligarchs is a key element on Ukraine’s path to NATO membership

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov took part in the conference “Countering Oligarchic Influence” within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Economy Without Oligarchs”, which was opened by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mr. Danilov stressed that it was thanks to the efforts of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the process of deoligarchization of our country was launched.

According to the NSDC Secretary, after Ukraine gained independence, the oligarchic groups formed in the country had an ever-growing influence on the economy, used increasingly powerful tools to expand their influence on politics, and now “these matters do not allow our country to develop”.

Mr. Danilov stressed that deoligarchization is a key element on Ukraine’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration. “When we read the Constitution, we have a desire to become a full-fledged member of NATO, - he said. - But if the oligarchic economy and the corruption component as its integral part remain, we will never join NATO”.

In this context, Mr. Danilov noted, the fight against the oligarchs is a “fundamental thing”, because “joining NATO is one of the important guarantees of our independence”.

In the NSDC Secretary’s opinion, the adoption of the law on deoligarchization introduced by the President will accelerate Ukraine’s movement towards Europe and NATO membership.

Mr. Danilov also noticed that the Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyy “was the first to dare to do it publicly” so that “the whole country would know the names of people who have the status of oligarchs”.

Now, according to the NSDC Secretary, the quality of the deoligarchization process will depend on the people’s deputies. “I have a great desire for deputies to treat this law responsibly. It rests with the deputies to make the next step on the way to overcome this disease”, - he stressed.