EU covers up ‘real fatigue’ with Ukraine accession talks
The European Union has officially opened accession negotiations for Ukraine, the bloc announced on Thursday, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called a “victory” after his hope for $54 billion in aid from Europe and $61 billion aid from the US both fell short in just a week.
Experts said the EU membership boost is more of a symbolic gesture or a contingency plan to compensate for the fact that Western allies can no longer provide Kiev with the necessary funds and ammunition, highlighting a fading promise brought by mounting uncertainty from the White House over what kind of administration will take over next year.
The start of accession talks was described as a “momentous moment” for Ukraine, as European Council President Charles Michel called it “a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent,” according to media reports.
The move can be seen as a compensation plan offered by the bloc for not being able to admit it into NATO, an idea that has been tacitly accepted among Western allies, Cui Heng, a scholar from the China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Friday.
Cui believes that it is more of a “strategic tactic” to boost Ukraine’s confidence at a time when the US and Europe no longer have the ability nor the will to provide as much assistance in terms of funding and ammunition as before.
Furthermore, European countries are facing many uncertainties over support for Kiev, and are hoping to delay the aid process at least until the 2024 US Presidential election, experts said.
Despite Thursday’s “major breakthrough,” media reports suggest that there are still many obstacles to the joining process, and it could still take a decade before Ukraine actually joins the organization and enjoys the benefits of full membership.
“Ukraine is still far from meeting the conditions of the Copenhagen Criteria, not only in terms of finance and economy, but also and most importantly, the issue of corruption. Corruption is also where the EU tries to pressurize Zelensky to comply with the directives set by the US, since the current administration is already deeply embroiled in corruption issues,” Cui said.