The EU likes to present itself as a supporter of Ukraine. But does it really play in a league with countries like Great Britain? A different impression may arise during Zelenskyj’s visit to Brussels.
Anyone who had expected that Volodymyr Zelenskyy would aggressively promote the delivery of combat aircraft and other powerful weapons in his big speech to the almost 450 million citizens of the EU was wrong. The Ukrainian President did not say a word in the European Parliament on Thursday about the fact that his military considers modern Western jets indispensable for victory in the war against Russia. The 45-year-old also refrained from calling for his country’s accelerated admission to the EU.
Instead, Selenskyj said one word over and over again: “Djakuju”, thank you. Thanks for the support over the past few months. And he explained why more help was also in the interests of the Europeans. “An attempt is being made to destroy the European way of life with a total war,” he called out to the parliamentarians. It’s about defending yourself in a “historical fight” against “the most anti-European force in the contemporary world”. “We Ukrainians are on the battlefield with you,” said Zelensky, who appeared in front of the deputies in a black sweater and olive-green trousers.
The message was clear: We are already a community of destiny. If they lose to Russia, it’s not just Ukraine that would be annihilated.
Selenskyj must be able to show results at home
But does Zelenskyy, who is usually aware of the sensitivities of his audience, reach the majority of people in the EU with such a speech? The fact that he did not campaign aggressively for fighter jets in Parliament should go down well with many. However, the fact that millions of people are groaning under the drastically increased energy and food prices and many companies are worried about their existence was not an issue.
This is understandable from a Ukrainian perspective. In the country, soldiers die every day in Russia’s cruel war, rockets rain from the sky, the power goes out again and again and soon Russia is likely to start a new offensive. It’s also about survival for the citizens – and not about whether they only smear margarine on their bread instead of butter. In the afternoon at the EU summit, Zelensky made it clear that his country absolutely needs fighter jets in the fight against Russia. “I have no right to come home without results,” he said.
But for the MEPs and the heads of state and government, there are European elections next year. By then at the latest, all pro-Ukrainian parties will probably have to explain exactly why and to what extent Ukraine needs further support.
In London, thanks are greater
This challenge was only mentioned in passing in parliament and at the EU summit on Thursday. Deputies gave Zelenskyy a long and enthusiastic applause for his speech. Many in parliament were proud that Zelenskyi decided to speak there first and then appear as a guest at the summit of heads of state and government.
However, those who heard Zelenskyy’s speeches in London the day before must have sensed that the EU is in a different league than Britain when it comes to support for Ukraine. In London, Selenskyj had shown himself passionate, there were sentences like this: “Britain, you increased your aid when the world did not yet understand how to react.” Or this one: “London has been on Kyiv’s side since day one. From the first seconds and minutes of total war.” Nothing comparable was heard from him in Brussels.
The EU does not really agree
An affront? EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed out in a press conference with Selenskyj in the afternoon that the EU had already mobilized support amounting to 67 billion euros. At the same time, she admitted: “We still have to do more”.
Von der Leyen knows that this will get harder rather than easier in the coming months. Decisions in the EU are not as easy to make as in a nation state like Great Britain. There are countries like Hungary that don’t want to do without Russian oil and Russian nuclear power plants, or countries like Germany that don’t want to hand over combat aircraft to Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said at the summit on Thursday that it was about sending a “sign of solidarity and unity” in supporting Ukraine. This support will continue for as long as necessary.
Immediately before his trip to Europe, Zelenskyj had complained about the Chancellor’s hesitation. “I have to put pressure on to help Ukraine and constantly convince him that this help is not for us, but for the Europeans,” he said in an interview with “Spiegel” and the French newspaper “Le Figaro” published on Thursday.
Clear words from Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to France’s President Emmanuel Macron also showed that the mood is much more tense than the many oaths of allegiance would suggest. Meloni criticized Macron at the summit on the open stage for inviting Scholz and Selenskyj to a three-way meeting on Wednesday evening. The politician believed that the date could harm the common position of the EU on the Ukraine issue. The invitation was “inappropriate”.