The European Solidarity party is expelling MP Oleksiy Goncharenko from its parliamentary faction over disagreements concerning how the war should end and Ukraine’s future security architecture.
The decision was announced in an official statement by the faction.
“European Solidarity is a democratic party in which there have always been and will continue to be discussions, different views and heated debates. This is normal for a political force that respects freedom of speech and opinion,” the statement said.
The faction noted, however, that there is a fundamental difference between disagreements over political tactics and disagreements over the country’s core values and strategic direction.
For European Solidarity, these principles include a strong Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian language, an independent Ukrainian church, and Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and NATO. The faction said it considers these principles the foundation of Ukrainian statehood, which has helped Ukraine withstand years of war with Russia and should determine its future.
These principles do not depend on the political circumstances and cannot be subject to bargaining, either within Ukraine or, especially, in negotiations with Russia, the statement said.
According to the faction, Goncharenko’s public positions on ending the war and Ukraine’s future security architecture have diverged from those of European Solidarity and its ideological principles.
For this reason, the faction said it had decided that it could no longer continue on a common political path with Oleksiy Goncharenko because of these ideological differences.
The decision does not erase the years of working together, the statement added. However, party unity cannot become a formality concealing fundamentally different answers to questions about the future of the country.
“Compromises can be part of the path towards ending the war. But Ukraine’s independence, its European future, matters of national identity and its right to determine its own security system are not subjects for compromise,” the statement said.
