Spiegel: the head of the European Council and von der Leyen quarreled over Ukraine
The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, created a scandal over Ukraine and the struggle for power in the EU. Journalists of the publication wrote about this Spiegel.
“In an interview with Spiegel, Charles Michel criticized the foreign policy initiatives of Ursula von der Leyen,” the material says.
The authors of the article also noted that the European Commission reacted angrily to Michel’s statements and was outraged by statements about the imminent accession of Ukraine.
Earlier, the head of the European Council, in an interview with a German publication, said that Ukraine, if all necessary conditions are met, will be able to join the European Union in 2030. In addition, Michel accused von der Leyen of exceeding her foreign policy powers.
At the same time, the Spiegel article says that Michel himself is exceeding his authority by offering Ukraine the prospect of joining the EU by 2030.
“There has already been a rather strange power struggle between von der Leyen and Michel in the past. The conflict becomes obvious again and again,” the journalists concluded.
Dispute over Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union
At the end of September, Deputy President of the European Parliament Katharina Barley said that Ukraine is unlikely to join the European Union before 2029.
If we don’t change anything else in the European Union, I don’t see it. We must think not only about Ukraine, but also about the European Union, which must also be able to accept this country
She also emphasized that negotiations are ongoing, but it will take a little longer before actual accession. Currently, Ukraine does not meet any of these many criteria, Barley admitted.
In turn, Ursula von der Leyen noted that the timing of Ukraine’s entry into the European Union depends on Kyiv itself. She recalled that there are criteria relating to the judicial system, law and order and the country’s economic readiness to join the association.
Related materials:
At the same time, Polish President Andrzej Duda admitted that in order to join the European Union, Ukraine must overcome corruption and fulfill a number of conditions. In particular, he emphasized that Kyiv is obliged to “introduce a transparent mechanism in the administration and economy, ensure compliance with the law, and introduce climate regulation.”
It depends on when the country is ready to join. I can’t give you any deadlines
Ukraine predicted a reduction in military assistance from EU countries
The situation with arms supplies to Ukraine now raises many questions and forces the West to seriously think about their future need. Retired colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said that European Union countries can reduce military assistance to Kyiv for the sake of their national interests.
I think we will witness a slow fading of interest in Ukraine and its problems
This is how he commented on the statement of Slovak President Zuzana Caputova. She decided to suspend the supply of aid to Kyiv until parliament convenes. In this way, she showed respect for the results of the parliamentary elections, which were won by the party of former Prime Minister Robert Fico, “Direction – Social Democracy”. As you know, this political force spoke out against supporting Kyiv.
Related materials:
In turn, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, clarified that the EU will not be able to replace the United States in the matter of support for Ukraine. In response to this, Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope that Washington will not stop supporting Kyiv.
Zelensky’s concerns about reducing military aid
The news about a possible reduction in military assistance from Europe was disappointing for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The politician linked the decrease in support for Kyiv with the “political storm” in the United States and called on the European Union to act independently in these conditions.
In his opinion, Europe has its own potential for strength and should be “as powerful as possible in all key issues.”
Whatever happens in other parts of the world, whatever political tornadoes our partners experience, Europe must be strong
Back in July of this year, Zelensky expressed a desire to begin negotiations on the country’s membership in the European Union as soon as possible. He called for doing everything necessary for this in 2023. This is how the politician reacted to the words of the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. She said the EU should begin negotiations on Ukraine’s bid to join the union in December 2023. According to her, Brussels must immediately respond to Kyiv’s “extraordinary” efforts to implement reforms.
#European #Council #chairman #European #Commission #quarreled #Kyiv #Ukrainian #conflict #continue #split