Ukraine applied for membership in the European Union. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, real negotiations can begin only after hostilities there end, but even then it is not certain that full-fledged membership will be discussed.
“The very fact that the leadership of the European Union and some of its countries has unequivocally spoken out in favor of accepting Ukraine, in some perspective means a radical change in the EU’s attitude to this issue,” Nikolai Kaveshnikov, head of the department of integration processes at MGIMO, told Izvestia.
At the same time, according to him, it is not a fact that the decision on Ukraine’s admission to the European Union will be made in the near future. This is a difficult and yet long-term issue, the expert said.
“In order to enter the European Union, a number of conditions must be met. Recently, the association has been rather reluctant to open its doors. They have a whole queue from the Balkan countries, somewhere next to them is Turkey, which is either with Europe, or against it, ”Vladimir Schweitzer, head of the department of social and political research at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for his country’s accession to the European Union. “Ukraine, as a European country that respects the values contained in Article 2 of the EU Treaty, has the honor to apply for membership in the European Union,” the document says.
The next day, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the EP deputies via video. In his speech, he urged European countries to seriously consider the Ukrainian aspiration.
The EU responds to Kyiv’s calls with encouraging statements. On February 28, the presidents of eight countries – Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Estonia – wrote a letter to Brussels urging “immediately granting Ukraine candidate status” and starting negotiations, since Kyiv “deserves it.” The next day, Hungary called on the European Union to “put this issue on the agenda”.
Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that a real talk of fast-track accession is possible, but “there is still a long way to go.”
Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:
Express decision: will Ukraine join the EU in an expedited manner
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
