Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your messages every day because we are certain that we need to keep talking about war. The Ukrainian armed forces are launching increasing attacks on Russian cities. Perm, Tuapse, Cheboksary, Ryazan, Moscow – it seems that tomorrow’s drones can fly anywhere in Russia. What difference has this made in your life? Has the war become closer to you personally? Are you afraid for yourself and your loved ones? Do you think attitudes toward war in the country are changing – and how? The feedback form is at the end of this article. You can read the previous day’s review here.
Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine “associate member” status in the European Union as a temporary compromise until Kiev meets the criteria for EU membership. With the corresponding letter that Merz sent to the leaders of other EU countries, I met Reuters agency.
According to Merz’s idea, Ukraine could have the status of “associate member” in the European Parliament, as well as in the European Commission – but without the right to vote.
“My proposal reflects the special situation in Ukraine, a country at war. It will help facilitate ongoing negotiations and lead to a peaceful settlement,” Merz wrote. The Chancellor expressed confidence that this was “essential for the security of the entire continent.”
The German Chancellor also proposed that the EU make a “political commitment” so that the bloc’s mutual assistance provisions would apply to Ukraine. In his opinion, this “will create great security guarantees.”
Merz plans to discuss his ideas with other European leaders in the near future. He indicated in the letter that he intends in the first stage to achieve the establishment of a working group “to work on the details.”
Currently, EU legislation does not provide for any options for “intermediate” or “limited” membership in the Community.
Since the end of 2023, Ukraine has officially been in EU candidate status, with which negotiations are underway – although in reality they have not yet begun. The delay in starting negotiations was largely due to the position of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who stated that, in principle, he would not allow Ukraine to join the bloc. In April, Orban lost the election and left office.
In addition to Ukraine, Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro have candidate status for which negotiations are underway. Final accession usually takes several years, as the candidate state must prove that it meets a wide range of specific criteria in the areas of the rule of law, as well as economic and political freedoms.
In contrast to joining NATO, Russia has never demanded that Ukraine refuse to join the European Union. Kiev’s membership in the community as early as 2027 was one of the points of the original peace plan proposed by the United States late last year. The media wrote that these conditions were already discussed in negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and the European Union dedicated to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In the European Union itself, plans for Ukraine’s rapid accession are viewed with suspicion. Notably, Merz himself said in January that it was “simply impractical.” He noted that it is important for Kiev to have prospects for accession, but this process will remain long-term.
War in pictures. The city of Orekhov is on the front lines of the Zaporozhye region
War through the eyes of Medusa readers
Medusa’s readers live in different countries and have different attitudes toward war. We publish your messages to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to represent all viewpoints, even if they do not match the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Medusa Law, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the killing of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Romanian (Spain). I was born in Perm. I never supported Putin or the war, and in general, as far as I can remember, I wanted to leave the Russian Federation, which I managed to do even before the war. My elderly parents (they are also against “”) and other relatives remained in Perm. Perm is crowded with oil enterprises and various factories (including military), and I am very afraid for my relatives.
Even when the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine were just beginning to carry out murders and bombings on Russian territory, in which civilians were also killed, I began to have doubts that they were completely different from the cannibal authorities and the army of the Russian Federation. Now that facilities where civilians work have been deliberately targeted, and the perpetrators of the strikes realize that there is a high probability of casualties among them, the Ukrainians have lost all moral superiority in my view. It’s one thing when you shoot an enemy soldier and the bullet accidentally hits a civilian, quite another when you aim at a civilian target (for example, an oil refinery or something similar), knowing full well that civilians are working there and there are no soldiers or weapons there and that innocent people will be killed. At this moment I’m sure I want such attacks to stop immediately. By any means.