On Thursday, the European Union (EU) reiterated its support for Ukraine and discussed further support measures but refused to fulfil Kyiv’s demand to fast-track its membership application.
An emergency summit of the EU according to the Russian aggression and Ukraine's application for EU membership has been held in Versailles, France on March 11. The European Council recognized the European intentions and European option of #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/evTw15muVc
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) March 11, 2022
After talking about the Ukraine conflict for hours on the first day of the EU summit in Versailles, the leaders acknowledged Ukraine’s “European aspirations” but said there are no mechanisms in place to speed up the process.
European Council President Charles Michel said, “It was an opportunity to show unwavering, firm support for Ukraine, that is, to be committed financially, materially,” adding, “It is clear that Ukraine is a member of the European family, and we want to support all efforts to strengthen and consolidate the ties with Ukraine.”
Ukraine currently has an “Association Agreement” with the EU that allows Ukrainians to access European markets. While the Eastern European countries— Lithuania and Latvia—support Ukraine’s demand, other EU leaders have indicated that Ukraine’s integration could take years, as the votes have to be unanimous.
A historic night at Versailles. After five hours of heated discussions EU leaders said yes to Ukrainian eurointegration. The process started. Now it is up to us and Ukrainians to accomplish it fast. Heroic Ukrainian nation deserves to know that they are welcome in EU.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) March 11, 2022
Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that the bloc must reaffirm its support for Ukraine but dashed Kyiv’s hope of joining them any time soon. “Can we open today a procedure of accession (to the EU) with a country at war? I don’t think so,” Macron said.
Likewise, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the accession process couldn’t be sped up. “There isn’t something like a fast track, a fast procedure. We also have to take the Western Balkan nations into account, who sometimes have been working for over a decade to become merely a candidate nation for membership. Think of Albania and Macedonia. Let’s see what we can do in a practical sense,” Rutte said.
Versailles: Beautiful setting for a somber #EU summit in war times.
— Bernd Thomas Riegert (@RiegertBernd) March 10, 2022
27 leaders will express support for #Ukraine but not fast track membership. application. No immediate embargo on Russian energy imports expected but a phased approach to get independant in a couple of years. pic.twitter.com/rnsljmyfXf
Zelensky has previously urged the EU to grant his country membership as proof of the bloc’s support against the Russian invasion. Subsequently, the EU responded favourably by adopting unprecedented sanctions against Moscow. However, members appear divided on Ukraine’s membership application and how fast Brussels could move to integrate Kyiv.
Apart from discussing Ukraine’s EU membership, the leaders also discussed measures to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian oil and gas and new sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
According to a draft conclusion of the meeting seen by the Associated Press, “The leaders will agree in Versailles that they must bolster resolutely [their] investment in defense capabilities and innovative technologies, and to continue efforts to make the EU a stronger and more capable security provider.”