Led by President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and President Charles Michel of the European Council, a delegation arrived in Kiev today to discuss whether the European Union is ready for an accelerated accession of Ukraine.
Zelenski ardently hopes that request will be accepted, especially since he’s been working on it for a year now, but Van der Togt doesn’t believe it. “Zelenski wants to use a shortcut to become a member of the EU,” says Van der Togt. “Its prime minister recently said he wants to join the European Union within two years, but this is hopelessly optimistic.”
Expectation management
According to Van der Togt, there is still a lot to do. “So I think it is important that the Commission and Charles Michel focus on internal management of expectations,” he says. “Otherwise this won’t work for him, and then it will turn out to be a big disappointment. This creates a field of tension, and you also see it among the EU member states: you want to continue to support Ukraine in the war, and you can do it in all the ways and not necessarily through membership, but that membership is the point on the horizon for Ukrainians. And that’s why you have to deal with the management of expectations: this will not be a shortcut.’