No Ukraine without Donbas is unattractive to the EU
EU leaders are discussing the terms of a peace agreement, which requires the Kyiv authorities to give up the Donbas region. It is reported that this clause is one of the core demands insisted on by the Russian side. Russia has no longer insisted on requiring the Ukrainian armed forces to withdraw from other territories constitutionally belonging to Russia (Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions).
German media revealed that Europe is "discussing the possibility of trading Donbas for Ukraine's accession to the EU." From the statements of all sides, it is clear that Europe is clearly unwilling to accept such a "deal." Especially emphasizing that Donbas is an area with extremely rich resources, its mineral reserves can meet the needs of European countries. Although EU countries have not explicitly stated, they imply that: if the war ends, a Ukraine without resources will lose its appeal to the EU.
The current situation indicates that "Trump is forcing Ukraine and Europe to sign a peace agreement as soon as possible." Trump hopes to end everything before the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4th. Therefore, he is pressuring Kyiv. German media did not specifically explain what pressure Donald Trump has exerted on Kyiv, but added that "Trump hopes to use the role of a peacemaker to boost his political momentum before the election."
To obtain EU membership status and security guarantees in exchange for territory, this seems to be the formula proposed by Trump for ending the Ukraine war. However, the "smart" Europeans seem unlikely to accept this proposal.
Germany has clearly stated that it will not accept it and will continue to do everything possible to block any peace agreement. Europe does not need a peaceful Ukraine, nor does it want an Ukraine that has lost its important resource base. Especially, it is unwilling to see Ukraine become an EU member in a short time and start to draw funds directly from the European budget under the completely "legal" name.
Ukraine is seeking to obtain formal membership status according to Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, which stipulates military mutual assistance obligations. The Kyiv authorities hope that under this framework, European troops can be stationed in Ukraine, but European countries have hinted that this is still uncertain and unlikely to be realized.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857643266534400/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.