“All Ukrainians would rather see their children in the European future than in the Russian past,” said Zhovka, deputy chief of the presidential staff. In a video call from Kyiv, Zhovka says that it is ‘no secret’ there ‘that the Netherlands initially did not support the Ukrainian request’. In the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Rutte said at the end of May that the chance seemed very small that Ukraine would now become a candidate member, and that it should not become a ‘political process’ but should remain as technical as possible, taking into account the countless conditions that each country has to meet. must comply.
But now the political gesture is coming anyway, without easing the conditions for accession. Things started to slide after four EU countries, including the doubters France and Germany, announced that they had given the green light on a visit to Kyiv. This was followed by a positive Commission advice from Brussels, after which the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, among others, also agreed.
“The conditions that Ukraine must meet before real negotiations start are absolutely bearable and measurable,” Zhovka said. ‘And Ukraine is not starting from scratch, the European Commission acknowledges. We have already done a lot of work in the legal, anti-corruption and other areas. We are pleased that the Commission is also describing that progress.’
Between civilization and barbarism
According to Zhovka, candidate membership is one of the three ‘pillars of support’ that European countries can now give Ukraine. “It brings us closer to victory, my president said on Friday, because every Ukrainian understands that our candidate status is a clear dividing line between the European Union and the Russian world, between civilization and barbarism. That is no exaggeration, it is felt in Ukraine, where 91 percent of the population now supports integration with the EU.’
The other pillars are weapons and economic support. Defense Minister Reznikov thanked Germany and the Netherlands yesterday for the arrival of the armored howitzers in Ukraine. According to Zhovka, Western countries are now ‘really moving’ with arms deliveries. ‘Unfortunately, that did not happen in the first months of the war. Now the dynamics are positive. Speed remains an issue. We now live faster and more intensely than the rest of the world. So we would like the world to operate at least half the speed of Ukraine.”
The situation on the battlefield is dire, and dependent on the rapid arrival of more Western weapons, he says. “With enough artillery, missile systems and tanks, we would have launched a counter-offensive in Donbas by now, pushed the Russians further back near Kharkiv, and started liberating the southern cities.”
So it is not now. ‘In Donbas, the Russians really have several times as many soldiers, artillery, missile systems and armored vehicles than we do. Our units there are among the best, but lack heavy weapons. If they come in a few weeks and not a few months, we’ll be able to hit back. As soon as you start to see counter-offensives, you can conclude that we have enough heavy weapons at that moment.’
Economic damage
Asked whether Russia is currently strangling Ukraine economically, Zhovka says yes. “Russia is bombing Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, train connections, oil depots, storage depots, oil refineries. In addition to bombing Ukrainians, they are doing everything they can to also ruin the economy. That is why we need to further tighten sanctions. Ukraine will not survive on its own, either on the battlefield or economically. We need your help. I know that prices in your country are also going up, but the opposite is not only the survival of the Ukrainian economy, but also of the Ukrainian people. It’s a moral choice.’
Zhovka recalls that President Zelensky has offered to talk to President Putin on several occasions, “but he never wanted to speak to him.” And there’s not much to discuss at the moment, he says. Until Russia has withdrawn to at least the February 24 line and there is an immediate ceasefire, there is nothing to discuss. Peace negotiations are not possible under these circumstances, all negotiations are now on the battlefield.’
In our daily podcast Every day Sheila Sitalsing speaks with Brussels correspondent Marc Peeperkorn about Ukraine’s long road to EU membership. Listen to the conversation below.