Beijing (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday that the Kremlin has never opposed Ukraine’s possible EU membership and believes a consensus can be reached to ensure the security of both Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tianjin, a northern Chinese port city, on Sunday to attend a regional security summit, the SCO. During this rare four-day visit, Putin was welcomed with a red carpet reception and was greeted on the tarmac by senior city officials.
While speaking in China during a visit, Putin dismissed claims by European leaders that Russia might someday invade further into Europe as “hysteria” and “horror stories”.
In 2022, Putin stated that Russia was compelled to respond because the West, with NATO’s support, aimed to incorporate the entire post-Soviet region, posing security concerns for Russia.
How does Russia view Ukraine’s European Union accession bid?
“As for Ukraine’s membership of the EU, we have never objected to this,”
Putin said.
“As for NATO, this is another issue.”
He stated that he discussed Ukraine’s security during his August 15 summit in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“There are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security in the event of an end to the conflict,”
Putin said.
“And it seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus here.”
How has the European Commission assessed Ukraine’s progress?
Ukraine is a candidate for membership in the European Union and has a pathway for accession. Ukraine applied to join the EU on February 28, 2022, shortly following Russia’s invasion. Ukraine was granted candidate status by the European Council on June 23, 2022. Accession negotiations began officially on June 25, 2024, and are an important step in Ukraine’s EU integration.
The European Commission acknowledged Ukraine’s progress and noted that by mid-2025, it will be ready to open the first cluster of accession chapters, which requires unanimous consent from all 27 EU member states. Some EU countries, mostly the ones with varying regional interests, like Hungary, have created obstructions by either using vetoes or difficult conditions for reform.
