European leaders meeting at the summit expressed concern on Thursday about the risks posed by a weakened Vladimir Putin after the rebellion which destabilized Russian power, and reiterated their long-term support for Ukraine.
• Read also: Biden calls Putin a ‘pariah’ who is ‘clearly losing’ the war in Ukraine
• Read also: Putin says he ‘did not doubt’ Russian support during Wagner rebellion
• Read also: The Wagner group in Belarus, a “potential threat” to neighboring countries
The Russian president has been “weakened” by the rebellion of the Wagner group, which makes him “a greater danger”, said the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, on his arrival in Brussels. “We have to be very attentive to the consequences”.
“Until now, we viewed Russia as a threat to its force deployed in Ukraine. Today we have to consider Russia as a risk because of its internal instability,” he continued.
This mutiny showed “deep cracks” in the system put in place by Putin and “it will have consequences for us”, also warned the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Ukraine was at the heart of the discussions of European leaders on Thursday, with a planned intervention by President Volodymyr Zelensky by videoconference.
The EU has hammered home its long-term commitment alongside kyiv. “It is important that we double support for Ukraine, for military capacity and financial aid,” argued Ms. von der Leyen.
On June 20, she proposed to member states to approve a €50 billion aid package to support Ukraine until 2027, as part of an extension to the EU’s multiannual budget.
“Hold on long”
The summit of European Heads of State and Government is “an opportunity to agree on how we will continue to organize our support for Ukraine together”, underlined German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“We have to be prepared for this to last a long time,” he explained.
The Secretary General of NATO, the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, guest of the summit, also pleaded for lasting aid to Ukraine, which aims to join the Atlantic Alliance and the EU.
“We must continue to support Ukraine so that it remains a sovereign and independent country, otherwise the debates on membership will no longer be relevant,” he warned.
kyiv demanded clarity on Thursday regarding the prospect of joining NATO after the war. “Ukraine continues to work actively with all NATO allies to convince them that the time has come for clarity on (its) membership of the Alliance”, declared the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba.
On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky had demanded that NATO commit to “concrete” elements during its summit scheduled for July 11 and 12 in Vilnius (Lithuania).
The European Union, for its part, must prepare for Ukraine’s accession and address the sensitive subject of the reforms to be carried out in order to be able to integrate this country, an agricultural giant, warned the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
“The debate will be difficult,” he admitted in an interview with AFP. “But we should not wait until the last moment if, in December, the European Commission’s report recommends opening accession negotiations with Ukraine”.
Volodymyr Zelensky calls for the opening of accession negotiations at the end of 2023. This decision requires the unanimous approval of the 27 Member States.
In June 2022, the EU granted Ukraine candidate status in a highly symbolic gesture following Russia’s invasion of the country. Nine other countries, including Serbia, Kosovo, Moldova and Turkey, are knocking on the door of the EU.
Enlargement will be at the heart of the discussions at the next European summits in Granada in Spain and in Brussels at the end of the year.