Latest update 28 February 2022 at 05:55 pm
Under the Shellings, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy requests his country to be admitted as a full member of the European Union.
If Ukraine joins the European Union is not automatically covered by the NATO treaty it is needed that the country signs the NATO pact to enter the North Atlaantic Organisation. In fact, some of the EU members (Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta, and Sweden) have still not joined NATO to date. Despite this, if Ukraine becomes a full right member of the European Union, may be the path for Ukraine to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty as well would be easier to walk.
Today President Zelenskyy reiterated Ucrania’s request to inmediately access the European Union but with a little turn he asked for an special procedure to make it possible: “We appeal to the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure. We are grateful to our partners for being with us. But our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I am confident that is fair. I am confident we deserve it. I am confident that all this is possible.”
Some hours after President Zelenskyy signed Ukarine’s Government formal application to join the European Union.
“This morning President Zelenskyy signed an application for Ukraine to join the European Union.
This is the choice of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We more than deserve it,” stressed Denys Shmyhal (Prime Minister of Ukraine)
Tranlation of the text of the tweet: The President of Ukraine Volodimyr Zelenskyy signed an application for Ukraine joining the European Union.
NOTE: in th image on the left can be seen Ruslan Stefanchuk (President and official speaker on behalf of the Verkovna Rada -Parliament of Ukraine-) signing the application as well.
Meanwhile a representation of the Government of Ukraine and a representation of the Government of Russia went on to negotiate a ceasefire and how to solve in a peaceful way the conflict at a meeting at the Ukranian border. The meeting has ended with no agreement but both delegations commit to continue negotiating.
Despite the reiterated requests and conversations on Ukraine’s inmediate acession to te European Union held by President Zelenskyy with the President of the EU Commission, the President of the EU Council and other heads of the States currently members of the EU, nothisng has been said from the EU part on this issue till the date and hour of the latest update to this post.
Latest 23 February Zelenski asked once more for joining the Union during the official visit to the country by the Prime Minister of Poland and the Prime Minister of Lithuania.
“I am convinced that we should not stop there (associated country status). Concrete steps by the EU that would demonstrate Ukraine’s move towards full membership could significantly support Ukraine in the current difficult situation. We talked about it a lot. We believe that today this is a very important signal for Ukrainian society, for the unification of our state,” said the President of Ukraine during a conversation with the media following talks with the leaders of the Lublin Triangle (Poland and Lithuana) in Kyiv.
In a joint statement signed as a result of today’s talks, the leaders of Ukraine, Poland (Andrzej Duda) and Lithuania (Gitanas Nausėda) emphasize that “given the significant progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement and internal reforms, as well as the current security challenges, Ukraine deserves EU candidate status and the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland will support Ukraine in achieving this goal”.
Tweet published by Volodimir Zelenski on 26 de febrero de 2022 a las 8:13 am
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Presidents of Lithuania and Poland for being among the first to recognize Ukraine’s European perspective and sign the relevant bilateral declarations.
Gitanas Nausėda (President of Lithuania) underscored that Ukraine has made significant efforts in reforms and reaffirmed its invariable commitment to joining the European Union.
Andrzej Duda (President of Poland) noted that Ukraine deserves to receive this status, and assured that he would do everything possible to help it in this.
“Our meeting today confirmed that Lithuania and Poland stand with Ukraine. We appreciate it, friends,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.
Tweet published by Charles Michel on 25 February at 6:00 pm
The Presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland also discussed ensuring the full operation of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to prevent provocations and further possible escalation.
Tweet published by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine on 26 February at 8:44 am
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope for the support of the Polish chairmanship in the OSCE on this issue and thanked for the prompt convening of a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.
The Presidents also discussed further joint steps within the regional formats of cooperation: the Lublin Triangle, the Bucharest Nine, the Three Seas Initiative, etc.
Poland or Lithuania are not the only countries specially supporting Ukraine’s accesion to the European Union. on 28 February the President of Ukraine thanked the support received from Romania. Other countries also push for Ukraine’s joining the EU.
EU associated country since 2012
Relations between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine were shaped through the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement signed in 2014 and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). Ukraine is a priority partner within the Eastern Partnership and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
Since 2014 the EU and Ukraine are firmly seeking an increasingly close relationship with each other, going beyond co-operation, to gradual economic integration and deepening of political co-operation.
Both Ukraine and the EU started off the journey aimed to sign the association agreement in 2012, but the Ukrainian government suspended preparations for signing the association agreement on 21 November 2013, during the presidency of pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych attended the EU summit in Vilnius on 28–29 November 2013 where the association agreement was originally to be signed but he did not. The decision of not signing the association agreement led to the pro-EU Euromaidan movement, that succeed to remove Yanukovych and his government by parliament after the 2013–14 Ukrainian revolution in February 2014.
The political part of the Association Agreement between theEU and Ukraine was signed on 21 March 2014 by the new Prime Minister, Arsenii Yatseniuk.
Zelenski, an actor and comedian, an actual outsider of the political field positioned himself as the anti-corruption and ati-system option in the presidential electios. Zelenski was elected by the 73,2% of Ukrainians against Petro Poroshenko in 2019.
The current President of Ukraine, wo was said to be somehow a populist, promised to end Ukraine’s protracted conflict with Russia as part of his presidential campaign. Since he was elected, he has continously tried to engage in adialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenski’s Administration faced an escalation of tensions with Russia in 2021, culminating in the launch the full-scale Russian invasion we are living today.
Image over the headline.- From left to right: Ruslan Stefanchuk (President and official speaker on behalf of the Verkovna Rada -Parliament of Ukraine-), Volodymir Zelenskyy (President of Ukraine) and Denys Shmyhal (Prime Minister of Ukraine) after signing the formal apply for Ukraine to join the European Union.© PM of Ukraine.
Related Eastwind links (English edition):
Zelenski, to declare the emergency state in Ukraine
Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, back on track
Doha Declaration of the 6th Gas Exporting Countries Forum
The Ukrainian crisis.- Calling Russia to dialogue while showing the economic and troops’ fangs
EU and Ukraine deepen their Association Agreement, facing Russia
