EU leaders met in Brussels today for a summit and all eyes have been on Ukraine. European leaders are hoping to approve several measures today, including support funding for Ukraine’s war-struck economy and starting EU accession talks, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been stubbornly blocking any consensus on both issues, claiming that “Ukraine is not ready”. EU’s long-term budget, defence and security issues, and the conflict in the Middle East are also on the agenda.
Invitation to start European Union membership talks would be a massive win for Kyiv. Since the Revolution of Dignity in 2013, Ukraine has been continuously insisting that its eventual membership in the EU and NATO is part of its long-term geopolitical goal and potentially the only way out of Russia’s aggressive sphere of influence. The European Commission has also proposed allocating 50 billion euros in economic aid to Ukraine over the next four years.
Last month, the European Commission recommended that the EU leaders agree on opening accession talks with Ukraine. A second decision would still be needed later, potentially next year, to decide on a negotiating framework.
Today, a number of EU leaders came with heavy criticism of Hungary’s destructive position. Upon arriving at the EU leaders’ summit, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda warned that the EU’s decision-making process is based on the principle of unanimity and Hungary must play along. Petteri Orpo, the Finnish Prime Minister, said he is ready to negotiate “as long as needed”, adding that the EU’s priority must be “security and our existence as a credible union”. Orpo also warned that blackmailing (meaning Orban’s threat to veto Ukraine’s accession) was unacceptable, adding that “we have to find a solution together”.
Taoiseach of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, stressed that the consequences of the EU giving up on Ukraine would be catastrophic. “If Ukraine does not have support from the EU and the U.S., then Putin will win, and the consequences of the Kremlin’s victory would impact the entire world”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it is crucial to send a clear sign of support to “the courageous citizens of Ukraine who are defending their country”. He also added that a “strong signal must be sent to the Russian president, who shouldn’t hope for the European Union to give up on Ukraine”. Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, said it’s the EU’s “political and moral responsibility” to take the next step and open accession negotiations, reminding that Ukraine and Moldova have delivered “under the most difficult circumstances”.
On December 14, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed the participants of the EU summit via online call. “It is crucial for Europe not to fall into indecision and hesitancy today. Nobody wants Europe to appear weak or incapable of making decisions”, said Zelensky. He also insisted that Kyiv had done its ‘homework’, explaining that Ukraine had adopted the necessary legal framework demanded by the European Commission. “I ask you today for one thing – do not betray the Ukrainian people and their faith in Europe. No doubt, Putin will be using this against the entire Europe. Do not hand him over his first – and only – victory of the year. Europe must win, agreements must be kept, and words must have meaning,” said the Ukrainian president.
Yesterday, Ukraine’s former President, Petro Poroshenko, met a number of EU ambassadors in Kyiv, calling on European leaders to adopt a constructive, responsible, and fair position regarding the initiation of Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the European Union. “The decisions of the European Council will become a test for European unity and the EU’s solidarity with Ukraine in these challenging times. These decisions would show a response to the ten-year heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people”. In an earlier interview with CNN, Poroshenko also urged Americans not to hold Ukraine hostage to domestic American politics, warning that this would become a sweet smell of victory for Putin and explaining that if assistance to Ukraine is blocked due to internal disagreements, Americans will later have to spend ten times more to stop the rapidly expanding Russian aggression.
