Ukraine’s Becomes Member of the European Union
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed an application for his country to join the European Union
On Monday Russia and Ukraine had met in Belarus for peace talks to end the war. However, the countries could not agree on anything and the war continued. On Tuesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky applied for Ukraine's membership in the European Union (EU). The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU makes rules on politics and the economy for the member countries. Zelensky had given a speech in the European Parliament and after his online speech, he received a standing ovation. The European Parliament today accepted the request. The application process for EU membership normally takes several years, but Ukraine’s membership has been fast-tracked because of the war. Ukraine would have to agree to certain commitments, like accepting the EU’s business rules. But the process to confirm the membership is very very long. Croatia was the last country to join the EU and its application process lasted 10 years. It formally became a part of the EU in 2013.
The EU has promised to support Ukraine. Now that Ukraine is a part of the EU Ukrainian people fleeing the country can move to other EU nations more easily. In the EU there is a rule that says that if any member country has been attacked, then all members of the EU would support that country and provide military support. Ukraine joining the EU would be a significant blow to President Putin. In a televised speech over the weekend, Putin had said: “Ukraine is a strong part of Russia’s history & culture. The people of Ukraine are connected to Russia by blood.” Now that the EU has accepted Ukraine’s membership, it may anger Putin who may then order more military attacks in Ukraine. Currently, Ukrainian men between 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country and they are all fighting in the war. Ukraine has 36,000 women serving in the military. It has the world's largest number of female soldiers. Former Miss Ukraine Anastasia Lenna has also joined the military to protect her country. The entire country has united to protect itself from Russia.
