Hosting a conference of 12 European Union [EU] countries in Kiev Feb. 2, 44-year-old Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to pitch why it should be fast-tracked into EU membership. Zelensky tried the same thing with NATO, told recently by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Kiev would not join NATO anytime soon. When it comes to EU membership, Kiev is even further away from any bid at membership, certainly while it’s at war with the Russian Federation. No NATO country wants to join under Article 5, NATO’s all-for-one and one-for-all policy for members, requiring any NATO member to join the fight of any other members of the Trans-Atlantic Partnership. In the months leading up to the Feb. 24 Ukraine War, Zelensky often asked NATO for membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70, said NATO membership for Kiev would be a red line.
Zelensky thinks hosting EU countries sells the best case for EU membership, despite knowing that Ukraine’s economy is in depression, over 30% decline in Gross Domestic Product [GDP] since the war began Feb. 24, 2022. No Brussels official would invite any country essentially bankrupt, relying on U.S. government largess to pay Kiev’s civil servants would be eligible for EU membership. Whether known to Zelensky or not, the mutual hatred of 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin is no grounds form EU membership. Yet Zelensky thinks he’ll get more donor cash inviting EU countries to Kiev, knowing full-well his chance of joining EU membership is slim-and-none, largely because Ukraine’s history of corruption, government oversight, judiciary and other systems of government do not conform with EU standards, the toughest rules imposed on members in the EU.
Zelensky seeks EU membership to continue receiving donor cash and military hardware to battle the Russian Federation. No one in the EU wants any part of Ukraine’s war with the Kremlin, regardless of who’s in the right. Zelensky has made all the arguments to the U.S. and EU why they should back their war against Putin. Most EU countries, especially the newer ones in the Baltics, dislike the Russian Federation because of once being part of the Soviet Union. “Prime Minister Denys Sjmyhal has said he wanted Ukraine to join the European Union in two years and a liberal Belgian EU lawmaker said teasingly he dreamt of it happen over the next five. In reality, this is mostly to take much longer.” EU officials know the process of joining the EU and there is no “fast-track” process like Zelensky wants. Zelensky knows that he invited EU members to Kiev for cash-and-arms.
EU officials have a perfect chance to have heart-to-heart talk with Zelensky about ending the Ukraine War and moving the conflict to the peace table. Zelensky has been too focused on revenge against Putin, not realistically thinking how he plans to get back sovereign territory lost over the last 12 months of war. Whether any EU official speaks bluntly to Zelensky about his prospects against the Russian Federation remains to be seen. “To be allowed in, Ukraine needs to fulfill extensive criteria from political stability including democratic institutions guaranteeing the respect of the rule of law and human rights to economic ability to withstand more competition,” said Shmyhal, trying to be frank with Zelensky. Zelensky knows that no matter Kiev’s intentions, they currently can’t pay their bills without U.S. government largess. For that reason alone, Brussels can’t offer Kiev membership.
Zelensky thinks he can brow beat EU officials into accepting Kiev for EU membership because of all its sacrifices battling the Russian Federation. No one in the EU thinks Ukraine has to go war with the Kremlin to resolve its sovereignty issues. Since the 1999 Helsinki Summit, Turkey has sought EU membership, something that still hasn’t happened, largely because it doesn’t fit into the EU’s democratic models. In 2005, the EU opened up Accession negotiations, something that still hasn’t been completed. So when Zelensky talks of Kiev’s fast-track application to EU membership, he’s fooling no one but himself. “All EU countries must agree to take a new peer in. Beyond Ukraine meeting the complex criteria, it would also have to overcome reluctance from several founding states including France and the Netherlands to expand the bloc more to the east,” Shmyhal said.
No one should lose any sleep over whether Ukraine has a prayer of fast-track membership into the EU. Only Zelensky pretends he doesn’t know the lengthy process of joining Brussels. No country essentially bankrupt because of the war can expect any consideration for EU membership When it comes to democratic values, human rights and the institutions to support a democratic society, Ukraine continues to work on its long history of corrupt after its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Hosting 12 EU countries in Kiev, Zelensky’s real goal is winning more donor cash to fund the bankrupt Kiev government and pay for the war with the Kremlin. If Zelensky really wanted EU membership, he must resolve the conflict wit the Russian Federation, work toward a ceasefire and peace talks and negotiate mutually beneficial agreement with the Kremlin. So far, all Zelensky wants is more war.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
