The largest delegation to visit Kiev since the start of the invasion for the 24th summit between the European Union and Ukraine, but the first time Brussels has held talks in a conflict zone. In a rally full of symbolism, Ukrainian authorities prepared the ground for an anti-corruption operation that culminated yesterday in the arrest of the former deputy defense minister. No bombastic announcement about the country’s integration is expected from the summit, despite the prime minister reiterating that he will be ready to join the club within two years.
On the spot: the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission and 15 Commissioners. For President Zelensky and the government team, Ursula von der Leyen was convinced that the European Commission will help Ukraine move closer to membership, “until the day when the Ukrainian flag will be hoisted where it should be, in front of the Berlaymont building” . , reference to the seat of the Commission. Distantly, MEPs approved a resolution calling on the Commission to start negotiations as soon as possible and support a roadmap outlining next steps to enable Ukraine’s entry into the internal market.
The resolution, which had only 36 votes against, stressed that membership is a merit-based process and that Kyiv must implement the required reforms in line with European standards. In June, months after its formal application to join the EU, Kiev was granted candidate status. It first had to meet seven criteria, including judicial reform, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering legislation, a new audiovisual law, the adoption of a law against oligarchies and an amendment to the law on minorities.
In an interview ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal reiterated that the country will be ready to join an accelerated trajectory from the end of 2024. “The decision is not ours. But we are ready to do everything within our reach,” he said The mirror. Shmyhal stressed the fight against corruption, one of the essential points for membership.
The past few days have seen a succession of firings, arrests and searches, such as those carried out on Wednesday at the home of billionaire Igor Kolomoyskyi, the man who launched the series The servant of the people and who supported Zelensky’s candidacy (and, at the same time, Yulia Tymoshenko’s). Or the arrest on Thursday of Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov, who is accused of pressuring high-priced contracts and buying low-quality products such as body armor.
The President of the Commission took the opportunity to praise the institutions for their fight against corruption and the Ukrainian leader for “reacting so quickly at the political level to ensure that the fight against corruption produces tangible results”.
However, despite the efforts of the authorities, there is a general feeling in Brussels that an accelerated accession as desired by Shmyhal is unrealistic. “Ukraine will not join soon, but it is important to provide incentives to continue reforms and solve the current problems,” Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, told Deutsche Welle.
Today’s summit, preceded the day before by a meeting between Ukrainian ministers and European Commissioners, will examine other topics: the EU’s response to the war in Russia (more sanctions, as Zelensky called for when the European delegation arrived and von der Leyen promised, saying the tenth package will arrive before the anniversary of the invasion); Ukraine’s peace initiatives (Zelensky’s ten-point plan) and Russian accountability (the establishment of a war crimes tribunal); cooperation for reconstruction, energy and connectivity; and even global food security.
And yet…
Putin and the German tanks
“It is unbelievable, but it is true. We are again threatened by German Leopard tanks,” Vladimir Putin said during the celebration of the victory of the Battle of Stalingrad. “Again and again we are forced to repel Western aggression,” he said, drawing a parallel between the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union and the Kremlin-dictated invasion of Ukraine. “We’re not sending tanks to your borders, but we have something to respond with, and it’s not just about using armored vehicles. Everyone needs to understand this.”
Lavrov and the “Russian Question”
The foreign minister, on the other hand, victimized Russia again by comparing the Nazi “final solution” to the “Jewish question” – the Holocaust – to an alleged Western conspiracy against the Russians. “Isn’t this racism, isn’t it Nazism, isn’t this an attempt to solve the ‘Russian question’? The Commission president has said the sanctions have put Russia’s economy into “a decade of decline”.
Wallace doesn’t rule out fighters
For the UK’s defense minister, “there is no magic wand in this horrific conflict”, but in an apparent reversal, he opened up the prospect of his country sending fighter jets to Ukraine. “One thing I’ve learned over the last year is not to rule anything out,” Ben Wallace said of the fighters. A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said sending Typhoon or F-35 fighter jets was “not practical” hours after Joe Biden rejected the idea of supplying Kiev with F-16s.
Vienna expelled and pressured
Austria announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats, including two UN accredited in Vienna, on the day it became known that the country, headquarters of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, is being pressured to avoid the presence of the Russian delegation to prevent. the next meeting, on 23 and 24. “The participation of Russian parliamentarians in the Vienna session would be seen in Russia as their indirect legitimation and a return to business,” reads a letter signed by MPs from 20 OSCE countries. Austria expelled a Russian diplomat accused of espionage in 2020.
Source: DN
