Is the future of the European Union at stake? EU leaders are gathering in Brussels today with the biggest drama at the top of the agenda over Ukraine: whether a decision will be made to open talks to join the EU and whether financial and military aid will be approved.
In my address to the European Council, I stressed that this day will go down in our history.
Today is the day when determination will either be in Brussels or Moscow.
People in Europe won't understand if Putin's satisfied smile becomes the reward for the meeting in Brussels.🧵 pic.twitter.com/azQxCKzzLP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 14, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed EU leaders at the start of the discussions, saying: "This day will go down in history. Whether it will be good for us or not, history will remember everything. Every word, every step, every action or inaction. Who is fighting for what."
Orban is interviewed at the start of the discussions, Photo: AP
Ukraine applied for the EU shortly after the start of the Russian invasion and has since received candidate status. Referring to the steps taken by Europe at the EU's demand, Zelensky said: "It is very important that Europe does not hesitate. No one wants to see Europe as unreliable, or unable to make decisions that it itself has prepared. We are talking about a decision that was promised to us. We have received clear recommendations on how to proceed and all of you – I emphasize: all of you – know that we have fulfilled them all. So far, I haven't heard a single argument against implementing the plan, which everyone agreed on in Europe."
Zelensky and Orban having an animated chat on the sidelines in Argentina a week before the European Council is to decide on opening accession negotiations with Ukraine, which the Hungarian PM has been against. 👀
pic.twitter.com/RomW6tLfkC
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) December 10, 2023
Emphasizing the word "all of you," Zelensky was aiming first and foremost at Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who before the summit opposed opening the door to Kyiv and even said he would vote against the aid package. Orban, considered the EU's closest leader to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has argued that Ukraine is not ready to join without giving a reason, while he conditions the aid package on thawing EU funds earmarked for Budapest but frozen in light of what Brussels sees as anti-democratic trends in Hungary. Just four days ago, Zelensky and Orban met on the sidelines of Argentine President Javier Millay's inauguration in Buenos Aires and apparently tried to settle their differences.
Orban, however, is not the only obstacle to initiating proceedings with Ukraine. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also expressed his opposition, but the Austrian story is different: Vienna is believed to be seeking to promote Bosnia and Herzegovina's acceptance into the EU. Ahead of the discussions, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia and Slovakia issued a joint statement saying that "it is important that there is a balanced approach and the same standards are applied to all candidates."
However, one of the diplomats attending the summit, the statement does not take into account that Kyiv has implemented 80% of the necessary reforms and will reach 100% by spring, while Sarajevo has fulfilled only 20%.
Zelenskyy, however, called on convened leaders to take the broader consequences of rejecting Ukraine. "Don't betray the trust in Europe," he urged. "If no one believes in Europe, what will keep the EU alive? Europeans will gain nothing if Moscow receives a gift from Brussels in the form of a negative attitude toward Ukraine. Putin will certainly use this against you personally and against Europe as a whole. Don't give him his first and only win this year. Europe must win, agreements must be respected, and words must be covered."
Along with opening the door to the EU, Kyiv is also expecting approval of a €50 billion financial aid package over four years. This is a critical sum for the civilian expenditures of the state, which devotes all internal revenues to defense, and in fact depends on external funding to pay salaries and manage all civilian sectors. The delay should also approve an assistance package in the amount of
Ukraine and the European Union warn that if positive measures towards Ukraine are not accepted, it will have major strategic consequences. Among other things, opponents of aid to Ukraine in the United States may use the European refusal to confirm their own refusal.
Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin ran a "direct line" answering questions from journalists and citizens. During the event, he said that the goals of the "special military operation," as the invasion is called in official Russian discourse, have not changed, and that it is about "denazification" and "demilitarization" of Ukraine.
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