The visit of “old European” leaders to Kiev ended with beautiful and difficult promises
German Chancellor Scholz, French President Macron and Italian Prime Minister Draghi promised to support Ukraine's application for EU membership during their joint visits to Kiev. However, this “show of solidarity” turns out to be nice but empty promises.
Photo: Global Look Press
During a visit to Kiev, intended as a sign of unity in the European Union, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy pledged to support Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. The face of Russia and complaints from Ukrainians about the pace of arms supplies, writes The Guardian.
“My colleagues and I came here to Kiev today with a clear message: 'Ukraine belongs to the European family,'” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Ukrainian President Zelensky and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. who joined them.
Italian Prime Minister Draghi said: “Every day, the Ukrainian people are defending the values of democracy and freedom that underpin the European project, our project. We cannot delay this process. ”
Macron, who said: “Europe is by your side and will remain so for as long as it takes, until victory,” he also promised to send six more powerful guns to Ukraine on trucks, amid growing frustration in Kiev over the slow supply of heavy weapons.
One Ukrainian official said this week that the country had received only 10% of the weapons requested from the West. And as The Guardian notes, the main subject of Kiev's complaints has become German Chancellor Scholz, especially Ukraine is dissatisfied with German military assistance.
“We appreciate the support that the partners have already provided, we expect new supplies, especially heavy weapons, modern missile artillery, missile defense systems,” said Zelensky.
When asked by the BBC whether the latest announcement of European arms shipments is too small or too late, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba replied: “Notifications of new arms shipments to Ukraine should be issued every week. And these weapons must be supplied in sufficient quantities. That is the reality… The truth is that we are still in the minority in terms of artillery, multiple launch missile systems and defense systems, and we will not be able to make any significant progress until we equal the number of Russia in these three positions. & # 39 ;.
Meanwhile, Moscow has warned that pumping weapons at Ukraine is a “pointless” attempt that will only prolong its suffering.
The leaders of the three largest EU economies were photographed together on a train from Poland with dignitaries at night. to Ukraine, but little information has been provided in advance about the details of the trip, notes The Guardian. Ukraine's membership, saying that Ukraine's accession to the union could take “decades”.
Ukraine has called on the EU to pave the way for membership, but the proposal has raised some concerns in the 27-member bloc. The European Commission is due to issue a recommendation on Ukraine's status as an EU candidate country on Friday.
Kyiv feared that three European leaders would put pressure on Kyiv to agree to a peace agreement that would benefit Vladimir Putin as Russia continues to strengthen its position in eastern Donbas. Some of these concerns were emphasized by Macron, who emphasized that only Ukraine could negotiate with Russia and that neither “France nor Germany would negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, The Guardian notes that European unity is threatened by the far-reaching consequences of the Ukrainian conflict, including rising living costs and rising energy prices across the continent.
According to the German newspaper Welt, less than three months have passed since the Ukrainian president In early March, Volodymyr Zelensky applied for his country's accession to the EU. This Friday, the European Commission is due to decide on the candidate's recommendation.
Eurodiplomats told Welt that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was expected to recommend granting candidate status to Kiev in the near future and that Ukraine would first have to meet a number of rule of law conditions. This could be a compromise that would calm Zelenský's call for quick accession and also reassure critics, the report said.
After all, the status of candidate is not decided by the commission, but by EU member states. And there is a gap between reality and the beautiful words of Scholz's support and Ukraine's European aspirations.
There are certainly reservations about rapid action, especially in Austria, Welt points out, recalling that, until recently, France and Germany have also expressed concerns. While French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz unexpectedly spoke in favor of granting Ukraine status as an EU candidate country on Thursday, this accession status will be accompanied by a road map and will take into account the situation in the West. Balkans.
On the other hand, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told Welt: “Regarding the possible status of the candidate for the EU, I would like to say that there are clear and established criteria that must be met without any” ifs “or” buts “. There should be no double standards, not even first-class and second-class candidates. “
It is necessary to ensure that the EU applies” the same standards “to Ukraine as to other candidate countries in the Western Balkans, said the head of the Austrian government. “In this situation, it would be unthinkable for me to grant candidate status to Ukraine while keeping a country like Bosnia and Herzegovina aside,” said Nehammer.
As Welt points out, this Balkan country already does. applied for membership in early 2016. “We should not raise false expectations in Ukraine either, because the expansion process is complex and time-consuming. We therefore need to think urgently about the intermediate steps in the accession process, for example in terms of the European Preparatory Zone, “the Austrian Chancellor emphasized.
Austria has already presented concrete ideas on this issue at the conference. at European level. “And also President Macron, with his idea of creating a 'European political community', which I support,” Nehammer continued.