By “certain” EU countries
Kyiv complains about “second-rate treatment”
05/19/2022, 12:27 p.m
In the Bundestag, Chancellor Scholz dampens Ukrainian hopes for quick EU accession. Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Kuleba, called for an end to “the strategic ambiguity surrounding Ukraine’s European perspective.”
The Ukrainian government has called for a clear prospect of EU accession and has criticized the “strategic ambiguity” of some EU countries in the process. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that there was “second-class treatment” by “certain” EU countries.
“The strategic ambiguity about Ukraine’s European perspective practiced by some EU capitals in recent years has failed and must be ended,” said Kuleba. This attitude only strengthened Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and “offended the feelings of the Ukrainians”.
Kuleba was probably thinking primarily of Germany and France: Shortly before the Ukrainian Foreign Minister tweeted, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had dampened expectations in a government statement in the Bundestag that Ukraine could go through a faster EU accession process. Scholz referred to earlier statements by French President Emmanuel Macron. He was right when he said that Ukraine’s EU accession process was “not a matter of a few months or a few years.” In fairness to other long-term accession candidates in the Western Balkans, there should be “no shortcuts” to the EU.
Ukraine had applied to join the EU shortly after the Russian invasion of their country. The EU Commission intends to issue its official statement on this in June. However, Macron said last week that the process of joining the EU could take “decades”. Instead, he proposed the creation of a “European political community” for Ukraine and other candidate countries.
Kyiv clarifies conditions for peace talks
The Ukrainian leadership also made its position on a possible resumption of peace negotiations clear. Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter: “As long as Russia is not ready to completely unblock our country, our negotiating platform consists of arms, sanctions and money.”
Russian troops have occupied large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. In addition, in 2014 Russia incorporated the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. In negotiations that began shortly after the war began and are currently on hold, Moscow had demanded that Kyiv recognize Crimea as Russian territory and the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.