The gathering comes about two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale offensive, launching what has become a brutal, multi-pronged assault on Ukrainian cities and civilians. The first high-level talks between Ukraine and Russia since Thursday’s invasion failed to produce an agreement, with Ukraine’s foreign minister saying his country would not “surrender” and his Russian counterpart warning the West against sending more weapons to Ukraine.
The conflict has upended the architecture of European security, but has largely unified the bloc – at least for now. But as the war continues, the EU will face difficult questions about how far it is willing to go.
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Spurred on by urgent calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, EU countries quickly banded together to hit Putin with “unprecedented” sanctions. For the first time, the bloc agreed to supply and finance weapons for Ukraine. He also decided to offer “temporary protection” to Ukrainians fleeing the fighting – another first.
“Putin thought he was going to conquer Ukraine, but he failed,” Josep Borrell, a senior European Union diplomat, said Thursday.
“He believed he was going to divide us, but he failed. He thought he was going to weaken the transatlantic relationship and he failed,” Borrell continued. “Now he needs to end the war.”
But the details are still being worked out. For example, the EU has emphasized its commitment to defense, but Borrell’s promise to send fighter jets to Ukraine fell through without much explanation.
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EU leaders have pledged to support Ukrainians, including those fleeing the conflict. Citizens of Ukraine will be offered “temporary protection” for up to three years, they will be able to live and work in any of the 27 EU countries, and will also be entitled to school and social benefits. They are also bypassing the asylum system that has left so many Africans and the Middle East in limbo for years.
While Europe seems relatively united in its desire to help, EU countries still have to figure out how to accommodate the roughly 2 million people who have fled Ukraine in two weeks. as well as millions of others who may follow you.
The focus is now on economic consequences of sanctions and other measures. An EU proposal to drastically cut — but not ban — Russian gas imports is expected to leave countries scrambling to secure scarce supplies and squabbling over burden-sharing.
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Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said on Thursday that the EU should stop all energy imports from Russia in order to bring Putin to the negotiating table. “We need sanctions to stop the war,” he said.
This view is contrary to the opinion of the EU countries, which oppose such measures. In a statement released ahead of the summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said a ban was out of the question. “We still need gas and oil from Russia,” the statement said.
The elephant in the room everywhere was Zelenskiy’s urging to join a union. In a recent speech before the European Parliament, the Ukrainian leader almost begged the bloc to let his country in. “Now we are fighting for survival,” he said in a virtual address. “But we are also fighting to be equal members of Europe.”
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European legislators and officials greeted the speech with a standing ovation and kind words. But in the days that followed, it became clear that EU countries were divided on how to deal with Ukraine’s request and seemed to be looking for a way to say no, or at least not yet, without saying it outright.
On Thursday, Clément Beaune, France’s EU minister, said on French public radio that talks on EU enlargement should not be the focus of attention right now. “What saves lives today is military and humanitarian aid,” he said.
A senior EU diplomat, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, was even more direct. “Once things settle down,” he said, “we are going to put our money into what they are talking about.”
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A statement released Thursday said the European Council “recognized Ukraine’s European aspirations and European choice.”
It says the council has asked the European Commission for its opinion on the application. “In anticipation of this and without delay, we will further strengthen our ties and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in following its European path. Ukraine belongs to our European family.”
Quentin Aries from Brussels contributed to this report.