Ukraine has asked the European Union to quickly impose new sanctions against Russia, ahead of a summit Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine and to announce more humanitarian funding and troop training. the EU is likely to disappoint Ukraine’s hopes for quick membership in the bloc.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials have arrived in war-torn Ukraine a day ahead of the summit.
Reports say among the EU’s expected deliverables will be announcements to double the number of Ukrainian troops training in EU member states to 30,000, and nearly $28 million in de-mining assistance.
The summit, which includes EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Council President Charles Michel, follows an uptick in new weapons pledges by the EU and the United States, which include German and American tanks, and French Caesar howitzers.
“It’s a crucial summit. It’s very symbolic that all three leaders of the institutions are going to Ukraine — this sends a very positive signal of EU support," said Amanda Paul, senior policy analyst at the Brussels-based European Policy Center.
“But at the same time, Ukrainians obviously want significant substance to come out of this summit," Paul said. "They’ll be looking for ongoing commitment from the EU in terms of financial assistance for reconstruction and recovery, for military aid, for humanitarian assistance…”
The summit comes ahead of an expected surge in fighting by both Russians and Ukrainians as the weather warms up. German Marshall Fund analyst Jacob Kirkegaard says that makes beefing up Ukraine’s arsenal all the more urgent.
"Ukraine needs more... not in three months, it needs them now…so there is clearly in my opinion a need to continue the acceleration of weapons supplies for Ukraine," said Kirkegaard.
Kyiv is also hoping for EU backing for its goal to join the 27-member EU in two years.
Friday’s summit follows a wave of dismissals and resignations of senior Ukrainian officials over corruption allegations. Cracking down on corruption will be a key EU membership demand.
But most observers believe Brussels is unlikely to fast track Ukraine's membership. Other applications take years to be granted. Analyst Kirkegaard believes European officials need to manage Ukraine’s expectations — but also provide encouragement.
“Overall, I don’t think there’s any doubt that this will be a meeting that will solidify EU support for Ukraine — financially, militarily, humanitarian et cetera. So, this is a good opportunity to give Ukraine another push on what unfortunately will be a very long road toward EU membership," said Kirkegaard.
The European Policy Centre’s Amanda Paul says Ukraine has made progress over the past decade in cracking down on corruption. Ukraine’s civil society watchdogs can be a powerful force, she says, in ensuring that continues.
