The confrontation with Moscow is motivated by the annexation of Crimea and the war with the rebels in Donbass
The 23rd Ukraine-European Union summit was held this Tuesday in Kiev with the participation of the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Volodímir Zelenski, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. Several agreements were signed and the outlines of future relationships were outlined.
The meeting took place one day after France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, the four components of the Normandy Group, announced a new meeting of this quartet soon to try to advance towards peace in eastern Ukraine and urge the parties to implement the Minsk agreements, signed in February 2015 with the intention of ending the conflict, although without results to date.
Local analysts point out that Brussels is really trying to help Kiev in its confrontation with Moscow, motivated by the annexation of Crimea and the war with the rebels in Donbass, however, the vulnerability that Europe suffers due to the chronic shortage of gas in its Deposits for the winter advises a left hand in order not to upset Russia, one of the main energy suppliers on the continent, which will soon be the main one when the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline comes into service.
Despite the precautions with the Kremlin and, according to the Ukrainian Defense Minister Andréi Tarán, «we are doing everything necessary so that by the end of this year a consultative and military training mission – of the European Union – is implemented in practice ». This seems to be one of the agreements reached yesterday, although the European leaders preferred not to give it much hype. Michel spoke simply of “military cooperation”, still pending analysis by Brussels, in the style of missions like Althea in Bosnia Herzegovina.
The parties also agreed to create a common airspace, which will allow Ukrainian airlines to expand their flight offer and improve the benefits of airports such as Borispol, in Kiev. An agreement was also signed for the incorporation of Ukraine into the European Commission’s “Horizon Europe” research and innovation plan and another for Kiev’s participation in the “Creative Europe 2021-2027” program.
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