EU leaders set to meet at Versailles summit focused on Ukraine conflict

Leaders of EU member states are set to gather at a two-day unofficial summit in Versailles Palace near the French capital, Paris, on Thursday to discuss the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

They will also discuss strengthening the bloc’s ties with Ukraine with a view to its possible membership.

The summit comes as more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighboring EU states to seek refuge from Russian attacks, which have often hit civilian infrastructure.

Russia’s invasion is widely seen as having shattered the European security order that came into being following World War Two and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia’s invasion now the main focus

The Versailles summit was originally meant to discuss the EU’s new economic model, as a highlight of France’s six-month term holding the rolling EU presidency, however that focus has now shifted to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which has beenwidely seen as a breach of international law.

“Russia’s war of aggression constitutes a tectonic shift in European history,” EU leaders are expected to say in a joint statement, saying that Russia’s actions could cause “growing instability, strategic competition and security threats” for the continent.

The draft statement also says that EU member states will enforce the implementation of sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion and that they are ready to institute more measures if needed to keep pressure on both Russia and Belarus.

The leaders are also expected to discuss how to reduce Europe’s dependency on Russian energy, with the EU paying millions to Russia every day for gas, oil and coal.

Ahead of the summit, French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz jointly phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.

Support for Ukraine

The leaders are also to discuss Ukraine’s potential accession to the bloc after its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed an application to join over a week ago.

Following up on the president’s move, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently wrote in an op-ed in the Financial Times that Ukraine’s acceptance as an EU member “would provide an enormous injection of hope to the Ukrainian people.” 

Zelenskyy (C.) signed an application for EU membership on February 28

Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc is strongly supported by other countries previously under the sway of the Soviet Union, such as Poland.

However, others, such as the Netherlands and France, are likely to insist that the country goes through the regular and lengthy accession process. Another hurdle to Ukraine’s membership is a collective defense clause in the EU treaty, as Russia’s presence at its border could pose a persistent threat, judging by Moscow’s present actions.

The draft statement for the meeting said that while the application was undergoing consideration, “pending this and without delay, we will further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership” with Ukraine.

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, whose country borders on Russia, said ahead of the talks that it was “important to show a clear, open door for EU membership for Ukraine, that the path is open for them to take.”

Ukraine already has agreements on free trade and on closer political and economic ties with the EU.

tj/kb (AP, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-leaders-set-to-meet-at-versailles-summit-focused-on-ukraine-conflict/a-61080856?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf