“Ukraine is three steps away from joining the EU,” according to Kiev’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba. But, despite the fact that negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova’s entry into the European Union began yesterday, the path of the two countries is not a given. What is certain is that the current EU leaders have insisted that this step be as politically characterized as possible. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated the two countries on Twitter, stressing that the path “will be challenging but full of opportunities.” The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, was more explicit, speaking of a “historic day.” The Ukrainian delegation rejoiced, calling the start of negotiations a “dream come true.” The next steps will be to confirm the success of the negotiations, then certify that the candidates meet the criteria for membership and sign the agreement. Finally, the parliaments of the member states will have to ratify the agreement.
FOR NOW THE TRUTH success of Kiev (and Moldova, but Chisinau’s accession is in many ways the result of Russian aggression on Ukrainian territory) was to move in just over two years from a condition of extraneousness to that of official candidate. The speed of the various steps will now depend on how well Ukraine manages to satisfy Brussels’ requests. The particular status of plenipotentiary of the Ukrainian president, who leads the country ad libitum thanks to martial law and is endowed with extraordinary powers, will facilitate the task. But the downside is that freedom of expression and opposition in Ukraine are currently severely limited and this could be a major problem for membership. Meanwhile, the EU announced yesterday that the Assistance Fund for Ukraine “will continue to support the supply of lethal and non-lethal military equipment and training” for a value of 5 billion for 2024 and, possibly, the same amount until 2027.
MEANWHILE, at home, Zelensky yesterday decided to dismiss the head of the joint forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuri Sodol, after the soldier was accused by the head of the Azov brigade, Bogdan Krotevich, of “killing more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general” . Andri Gnatov was appointed in his place.
Meanwhile, a new sentence has arrived from the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the Russian leaders. The investigative section chaired by the Italian judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, first vice president of the Court, issued two arrest warrants for the former defense minister Sergei Shoigu and the deputy minister and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov for war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed in Ukraine between October 10, 2022 and «at least March 9, 2023». The Kremlin spoke of “the West’s hybrid war” and announced the exclusion of 81 European media, including the Italians Rai, La7, La Repubblica and La Stampa, in response to the sanctions on Russian agencies.
