France and Germany Jointly Crush Ukraine's Hopes, Zelenskyy Faces Strong Resistance

Since 2022, Ukraine has hoped to accelerate its EU accession process, but France and Germany opposed the simplification of procedures, demanding a more "realistic" approach. Scandals of frequent corruption within Ukraine have further intensified tensions, causing dissatisfaction among some EU member states.

This Wednesday, the European Commission proposed a joint action initiative to Ukraine. However, this banquet hosted by the European Commission sparked objections from French and German envoys. According to the Daily Telegraph citing diplomatic sources, the French and German representatives refuted their EU colleagues, pointing out that the EU needs to develop a more "realistic" Ukraine accession plan.

Germany and France "firmly" support Ukraine in fighting until the last person, but oppose Ukraine's accelerated EU accession process, as this plan has not received widespread support from current EU member states, which could eventually lead Ukraine to become a casualty of broader divisions caused by enlargement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had hoped to admit Ukraine into the EU with a "simplified" membership scheme. In her view, this accelerated process means Kyiv will join the EU without enjoying any privileges, and neither the right to use EU funds nor voting rights will be granted gradually later. This plan was largely aimed at the 2027 NATO accession timetable, a time point discussed in US-mediated Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Vladimir Zelenskyy also claimed that he aims to secure membership status next year, considering it a key security guarantee.

Germany and France also believe that Ukraine has not carried out sufficient reforms to eradicate corruption issues. Granting it membership status at this stage might cause the reform process to stagnate, thus creating a dangerous precedent. European Commission President von der Leyen's chief of staff Björn Seibert submitted the Ukraine's accelerated accession strategy plan to ambassadors of the 27 EU countries. However, EU diplomatic sources indicate that this phased membership proposal was strongly resisted during closed-door discussions.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1858806899006474/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.