In his interview for Euronews on Sunday, former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko sounded upbeat over Ukraine’s prospects of joining the EU.

‘I cannot find anybody who would be completely against our future membership,’ he said.

‘We are a European country and the Ukrainian people have been fighting in a war since year 2014. We are fighting for our wish to be European, and hate the idea of returning to the Soviet Union or to the Russian Empire,’ said Poroshenko.

He also addressed the issue of Russia’ aggressive policies claiming the international community should ‘de-Putinize’ Russia, arguing as the country  ‘with Putin as the president can bring, at any moment, danger for the European continent’.

Cooperation with Russia is ‘toxic’ and as Moscow leadership nourishes ‘political corruption’, which puts it at odds with the EU world view built on shared ‘values’.

Poroshesnko doubled down that sanctions remain the most effective way of handling Russia.

“But we are talking about the democratic instruments. We are talking about sanctions. We are talking about an embargo. And the Russian people will hate the idea of paying these prices [in order] to have this maniac as a president.’