Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Zelenskyy and EU Council President Michel discuss Ukraine’s EU accession, €5 billion assistance fund, trade, and expectations for upcoming summit
On the evening of the European Council gathering, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the European Council Charles Michel. The parties examined the next steps towards the actual opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, as well as other comprehensive support of our country by the EU.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Charles Michel for yesterday’s support by the Council of the EU of the decision to launch a special €5 billion Ukraine Assistance Fund within the European Peace Facility. In addition, the parties were concerned about the opportunities to improve the supply of artillery ammunition to our country.
The talkers also discussed the significance of extending autonomous trade usefulness for Ukraine for another year. Volodymyr Zelenskyy underlined that the continuation of the trade liberalization control with the EU is a critical factor in sustaining the Ukrainian economy during the war. The Head of State and the President of the European Council swapped their expectations for the upcoming 25th Ukraine-EU Summit.
Zelenskyy reported this on the Telegram channel, Ukrainian News Agency reports. “On the eve of the meeting of the European Council, I had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Union, Charles Michel. First of all, we are concerned about further steps on the way to the actual start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, as well as further comprehensive support of Ukraine from the EU. I thanked Charles for yesterday’s acceptance by the EU Council of the decision to create within the framework of the European Peace Fund, a special aid fund for Ukraine, in the amount of EUR 5 billion. In addition, we considered possible ways to increase the supply of artillery ammunition to Ukraine,” he stated.
A survey performed by the European Council on Foreign Relations in November 2023 found that approval for EU enlargement is increasing in the bloc. It shows that public approval has increased in almost all member states since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but is most extensive in Lithuania (77%), Spain (74%), and Croatia (71%).
A large bulk of citizens in Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden also prefer the idea of taking in new member states. Thus, more individuals in 24 out of the EU’s 27 accommodate the idea of the bloc growing in size than oppose it.
The survey also discovered that “leaders of countries that in the past delivered little enthusiasm for enlargement have changed their tone,” including French President Emmanuel Macron, for example.
While he secured the opening of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia at an EU meeting in Brussels in 2019, he seems to have altered his approach this year. Speaking at a security meeting in the Slovakian capital Bratislava in May, he stated “The question is not whether we should enlarge […] but rather how we should do it.”
The survey indicated that support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is most increased in Denmark (50%) and Poland (47%). Public opinion is more diverged in Romania (32% in favour, 29% against), Germany (37% in favour, 39% against), and France (29% in favour, 35% against). In Austria, only 28% of respondents stated they favoured Ukraine’s accession.
The study discovered broad opposition to Turkey’s potentially entering the EU. Nor was the possibility of Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia entering the bloc particularly prevalent.
