EU Candidate Status For Ukraine and Moldova But Not Georgia Yet
Boris Johnson makes a second surprise visit to Kyiv
Yesterday was dominated by the appearance of Macron, Scholz, and Draghi visiting Kyiv for what essentially was a photo shoot and EU publicity campaign to show that Europe is united behind Ukraine, and that Ukraine is considered European and not part of Russia.
The world leaders claimed that this was to show support and to reassure Ukraine that they have the backing of Europe. Romania has always supported Ukraine as a country that has been previously occupied and with an autocratic regime, but France and Germany were the ones that needed the positive press. Many are saying it doesn’t matter what they said in the past as long as what they say now is what the world needs to hear.
The flaw in that logic is that if a world leader is willing to say what is necessary to retain power and to appease others to prevent isolation, then can you truly believe what they say? Macron has been consistent for weeks now, and had coped to convince others to follow his lead. That did not work, except for Scholz who many see as weak and hesitant. I wonder how he got to where he is, and why anyone voted for him after his performance over the last few months?
I believe Romania joined as support for Kyiv independently of the other three who have been criticized by the international community. Imagine the press conference, where only two supported EU candidate status (Romania and Italy) and the other two didn’t (France and Germany).
The press were allowed to follow the three on their journey looking friendly and chatty, and then met Zelenskyy in turn. The photos tell their own story, with the three on the train, and how Zelenskyy greeted them.
Macron was the more animated party who was playing up to the cameras as he faces a crucial vote on Sunday where he needs 289 seats to secure a majority vote. With his arms folded, was he bored when he was being shown the damage and destruction in Irpin?
There are conditions are of course to being granted candidate status, and both Moldova an Ukraine have away to go before they can become members of the EU, but this has not been granted to Georgia as yet. Russia will react to this, and Putin is due to give a speech that will no doubt attack the West.
Will Macron still be calling Putin? I believe deep down inside Macron still believes what he said, and that a peace deal with concessions is the way to end the war, but he has figured out that the majority of the world doesn’t agree, and his snake oil charms haven’t worked. However, to stay relevant and to keep himself in the fold, he was to say what people want to hear. Yesterday was an EU PR exercise that worked so far, but the EU has a history of bickering and they can’t afford to do that when lives are at stake, and the fate of a country depends on countries putting their personal grievances and wants aside.
Day 114 (17 June)
A new stamp has been issued in Ukraine showing a tractor pulling a tank as a symbol of resistance against Russia. The Ukrainians lack weapons to defend themselves, but their spirit and determination is to be admired by all.
There are concerns regarding China announcing a directive that allows military force for ‘non-war’ use, which is essentially what the Russians have called the special military operation. This could be an attempt to ‘invade’ Taiwan, even though it is part of China it is a self-governing island going back decades when Chiang Kai-shek retreated there during the civil war. China has always sought to take back control of Taiwan, and the recent actions by Russia have paved a legitimate way for them to do so. That has been the problem with the international community failing to reprimand Russia when they invaded Crimea in 2014, and now the rest of Ukraine in 2022.
This may have influenced the statement made by Macron yesterday, because to have China and Russia carrying out ‘special military operations’ when they feel like it unchallenged is a dangerous precedent. Also, the fact that they are permanent members of the UN Security Council, so technically the UN can’t do anything because they both have the power to veto resolutions.
A third American who went to Ukraine to fight has gone missing, assumed captured. The US has banned travel to Ukraine, and it is possible that Americans will be held as political prisoners by the Russians to try and force then to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine.
The fate of the British born soldiers (Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner) that have been captured and given a death sentence for allegedly being mercenaries is still hitting roadblocks. The self-imposed leader of the separatist Donetsk region has stated there is no chance of a prisoner sw
ap as it is not being discussed, and that there are no grounds for a pardon either.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland on 4–5 July, is where Zelenskyy will discuss a ‘digital lend-lease’, where Ukraine could be used to develop new technologies in exchange for financial and technological support. He addressed the Next Web conference in Zaandam as a hologram across steamed platforms including, Vivatech in Paris, London’s Founders Forum, Stockholm’s Brilliant Minds, the AI Summit in London, and SuperReturn in Berlin.
The European Commission has recommended Ukraine and Moldova be granted candidate status for EU membership but both must carry out certain reforms in terms of anti-corruption, human rights, and the legislative systems to align with the EU systems.
However, all other EU states must support this, and at this stage no country wants to look as if they aren’t supporting Ukraine unless they wish to be criticized. There had been concerns about Georgia, and they must meet the specific criteria laid out before they are offered candidate status in particular how they address human rights issues, how they tackle anti-corruption and the recent lack of media freedom in the country. This might make them vulnerable to attack from Russia, but as a small country with regions that Russia has already annexed, corruption was inevitable but cannot be overlooked when applying for EU membership. Ukraine has taken a hardline over corruption, and have arrested and detained those involved in corruption during the Russian invasion. Georgia needs to to do the same.
Austria has noted a concern that Ukraine should not have preferential treatment over other countries that have been waiting to join the EU, such as Bosnia and Kosovo. They don’t have Russia breathing down their necks though. The final vote will be on during the summit on 23-24 June 2022.
Putin is to give a speech today in St Petersburg at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. It is likely he will throw shade at the West in light of the announcement that Europe will support Ukraine until the invasion is over, and that Ukraine will join an alliance that offers some protection in how the country is governed.
During the speech, he urges countries to invest in Russia and claims that he was forced to carry out the ‘special military operation’ to protect the people of Donbas who he alleges were victims of genocide. He also denies that Russia is blocking Ukraine from exporting grain, which even Turkey has to admit is false.
Putin is appealing to companies to trade in Russia and to keep their businesses open. The trend has been to write off a loss in Russia rather than to risk losing the custom of the rest of the world for most companies.
The UK is to host talks on rebuilding Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine, who will not be able to host Eurovision 2023. It will be offered to the UK who came second in the recent contest.
Boris Johnson made a second surprise visit to Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy. He was the first world leader to visit Kyiv since the invasion. Johnson has offered training for soldiers, 10,000 every 120 days, with training on tactics and how to use weapons, and has discussed how to resolve the grain blockage issue.
The leaders of France and Germany showed up for a PR photo shoot because they both needed positive images. E-L - the photo you've shown of President Zelensky and Macron, is the one I referred to yesterday as a cumbersome, embarrassing embrace.