Ukraine Braces for Major Russian Offensive
Wall Street JournalMAR 10 2023
A delegation of 15 EU officials — including Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc's top foreign policy chief Josep Borrell — arrived in Kyiv for two days of talks on Thursday. Discussions are set to focus on military aid, reconstruction efforts, and Ukraine's EU accession aspirations.
So far, Borrell has announced that the EU plans to double the number of Ukrainian troops that will be trained by the bloc, taking the figure to 30K. A €25M ($27.5M) demining initiative has also been announced.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's defense minister Oleksii Reznikov warned of the possibility that new Russian offensives may coincide with the one-year anniversary of the war later this month. He alleged that Russia had mobilized 500K troops — 200K more than had publicly been stated — and that Ukrainian intelligence had observed these newly-mobilized troops massing at the Russia-Ukraine border.
Ukrainians have fought not only for their own country but also for all of Europe, reminding the alliance why it was founded in the first place. It's only right that the EU opens its doors to Ukraine.
If Ukraine were to join the EU, it would only further complicate the country's relations Russia and draw the world even nearer to a global conflict. The West should resist being so blindly positive about Kyiv's potential bloc candidacy.