"Volodymyr Zelenskyy may be a wartime leader, but he is fighting to deliver peacetime ambitions, too: he wants Ukraine to become an EU country soon. Ukraine's tireless president is ramping up pressure on EU governments to accelerate the slow process of joining: he sees the collective sacrifice of his people as a struggle for the Ukrainian future, the future of Ukraine in the European Union."
"That dream of 40 million Ukrainians gaining EU citizenship is theoretically shared by the club itself. No Brussels meeting these days is complete without Ukraine's inclusion being referred to as a geopolitical imperative. This language casts Ukraine's survival and Europe's future security as two sides of a coin. Yet, for years after the 2004 big bang that ushered in 10 former eastern bloc states, there was zero appetite for new members, least of all Ukraine."
"Putin's tanks changed all that within months of the illegal 2022 invasion, Kyiv had applied for, and been granted, candidate country status. A year later, European governments took the momentous decision to open accession negotiations with a country at war, albeit without a timeframe. Neighbouring Moldova, the former Soviet republic feared to be next in Putin's sights, vaulted to the top of the queue along with Ukraine."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressing EU governments to accelerate Ukraine’s accession process so 40 million Ukrainians can gain EU citizenship. Russia’s 2022 invasion prompted rapid moves: Ukraine applied for and received candidate status, and the EU opened accession negotiations despite wartime conditions. Moldova, Albania and Montenegro joined Ukraine among ten applicants; the European Commission named Ukraine and Moldova frontrunners and Kaja Kallas said membership by 2030 is realistic. Ukraine continues massive reforms while enduring Russian airstrikes, a depleted treasury and millions of refugees, with negotiators working under dire conditions. Brussels regards Kyiv’s reform effort as impressive but retains reservations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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