After being taken to Irpin to witness for themselves some of the devastation inflicted by the Russian invasion, the leaders of the EU’s biggest three economies can’t be seen to demonstrate anything other than full public solidarity with their Ukrainian partners.
But behind closed doors, there could be tough discussions. One aide to President Zelensky told German media he fears today’s visiting trio will put pressure on Ukraine to make concessions to end the war Putin started.
Europe presented a united front in the early days of the invasion but recent disagreement on boycotting Russian gas during the latest round of EU energy sanctions reflect different perspectives and political and economic concerns in different EU capitals.
These extend to Ukraine’s European Union membership bid, which Kyiv is desperate to achieve as soon as possible.
Some countries, including Poland, want a fast-tracked process but others worry there could be a temptation to lower all the normal accession hoops to jump through – such as reforms on finance, rule of law, corruption.
Key among the stated criteria for successful EU membership is having a “stable democracy”.
Ukraine is in its fifth month under attack by a neighbour which wants to replace its leadership and take its territory.
So this could be a unique application in unique times. And, as ever in this union, France, Germany and Italy’s views will carry the most weight.
BBC
