Zelensky demands 'immediate' EU membership for Ukraine

[RandySF]

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=qroaxZEQEBdKpTcFtmrP9g

Amichai Stein
@AmichaiStein1
#BREAKING: Zelensky demands 'immediate' EU membership for Ukraine

[Tetrachloride]

1. ty for confirmation

updated comment

[RandySF]

2. Another tweet

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=qroaxZEQEBdKpTcFtmrP9g

[Cha]

14. Rt Ty He's asking not

"demanding".

[blue-wave]

9. More Confirmation

From the Ukrainian National News Agency

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3415735-zelensky-calls-on-eu-for-ukraines-immediate-accession-under-special-procedure.html

[ColinC]

3. Anybody knows the chances of this happening before a Russian withdrawal/ collapse?

[OnDoutside]

12. Zero

There are a shedload of steps that any candidate country has to go through, but I have no doubt that it will be accelerated. The best that can be done for now is to have a clear commitment to work with the Ukrainian government to push a faster time table. Remember that Turkey have been waiting decades (and as long as Erdogan is there, a lot longer).

[ColinC]

15. It appears just being a candidate country gives them a ton of benefits

Already...

[OnDoutside]

16. It's being firmly planted in the West, and beyond the Russian sphere of

influence is what matters most.

[madaboutharry]

4. He is asking, "demands" is a strong word.

The Kyiv Independent reported he is “asking” for EU membership. This tweet reminds me of the game Telephone.

Zelensky isn’t an arrogant person and seems to be a man who chooses his words.

[OneBro]

10. Exactly

[Deb]

5. A temporary US Federal Park designation might be faster

[Frasier Balzov]

6. What benefit or advantage would it give them?

EU membership isn't NATO membership is it?

Zelensky isn't seeking to convert to the Euro as the Ukrainian currency is he?

[Wounded Bear]

8. Yes, EU and NATO are different entities...

IIRC EU entry has been in negotiations for a while. I don't think NATO talks have been very active with Ukraine.

Both would require some changes in Ukraine, I believe.

[JI7]

11. Open borders with other EU members.

[OnDoutside]

13. Putin would be drawing a whole heap of shit on himself if he attacked an EU member.

[texasfiddler]

7. Zelensky knows damn well what happened in 2014

I recommend watching the documentary Winter of Fire on Netflix.

[crickets]

17. Good for Ukraine. The application was signed today.

Link to tweet

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-invasion-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-signs-application-to-join-european-union-12554301

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country's president, shared an image of himself flanked by Denys Shmyhal, his prime minister, and Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, as he signed the document. [snip]

He has asked the EU to allow Ukraine to gain membership immediately under a special procedure as it defends itself from invasion by Russian forces.

The application to the EU was largely symbolic and the process could take years, with Ukraine having been weakened by endemic corruption for many years, making the benchmarks of approval extremely hard to reach.

However, the move is still unlikely to sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who does not want Ukraine to have a strong relationship with the West.