Why Europe Needs Ukraine
AtlanticApr 08, 2022
A delegation of 15 EU officials — including Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc's top foreign policy chief Josep Borrell — arrived in Kyiv for two days of talks on Thursday. Discussions are set to focus on military aid, reconstruction efforts, and Ukraine's EU accession aspirations.
So far, Borrell has announced that the EU plans to double the number of Ukrainian troops that will be trained by the bloc, taking the figure to 30K. A €25M ($27.5M) demining initiative has also been announced.
Ukrainians have fought not only for their own country but also for all of Europe, reminding the alliance why it was founded in the first place. It's only right that the EU opens its doors to Ukraine.
If Ukraine were to join the EU, it would only further complicate the country's relations Russia and draw the world even nearer to a global conflict. The West should resist being so blindly positive about Kyiv's potential bloc candidacy.
There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will join the European Union before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.