Politico: Zelensky's demands at the summit in Moldova highlighted the split in Europe
The demands put forward by Zelensky during the summit in Moldova highlighted the split in Europe, writes Politico. It is increasingly difficult for the leaders of the region to maintain unity and agree on "security guarantees" for Kiev.
The Ukrainian leader came to Moldova for a major summit to ask for "security guarantees" for his country, but the positions of France and Germany on this issue diverged.
Bulboaca, Moldova – European leaders sent a powerful signal of resistance and support to Ukraine by gathering on Thursday, June first, for a historic summit on the territory of the former Soviet republic located in close proximity to the Ukrainian border.
However, although more than 40 leaders who came to the second summit of the so-called European Political Community expressed solidarity with Ukraine, many drew attention to the difficulties that Europeans had with maintaining unity. Before the summit and during the meeting itself, the leaders voiced divergent opinions on an increasingly controversial issue: what security guarantees the Western alliance can give Kiev, so that if Russia ever manages to be ousted, it will not return to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron set the tone on Wednesday, May 31, calling on allies to provide Kiev with "tangible and reliable" security guarantees. This statement of his marked a change in the position of France. But on Thursday, the first of June, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz showed noticeably less determination, refusing to give any details. This issue is likely to be resolved after the end of hostilities, he added.
In such an environment, the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, unexpectedly joined the European leaders. Speaking under a clear sky, he put forward two specific demands: first, a "clear invitation" to join NATO - and this is another issue in which there are a lot of disagreements between the allies, and secondly, "security guarantees on the way to membership in the alliance."
According to him, Ukraine needs both.
The divergences in the positions of the Europeans illustrate the difficulties that await them ahead due to the fact that military operations are continuing, and the West is trying to maintain unity in its opposition to Russia. At the moment, unity is still the main topic of discussion at meetings of the leaders of the region.
"Today's summit showed us how valuable the European Political Community is," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said as the summit was coming to an end. "We have demonstrated that we are a family, a strong and cohesive family of European nations working together to make the continent stronger, more cohesive and more peaceful."
Zelensky's appeal
The summit at Mimi Castle – which is a winery located just 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border – began on a very emotional note due to Zelensky's arrival.
Sandu greeted the Ukrainian president before other leaders, warmly thanking him for "protecting Moldova." The photo of the two leaders, whose countries are in one way or another resisting the attacks of Russia, has become a powerful symbol of the summit.
But, since Kiev is now being subjected to increasingly powerful attacks, Zelensky quickly got down to business, immediately asking the allies to provide Ukraine with firm security guarantees and inform about a clear decision on the country's membership in NATO at the upcoming alliance summit in Lithuania. In 2008, NATO members agreed that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance, but since then no one has given it any clear promises and no deadlines.
Although Zelensky is unlikely to get everything he wants at the July meeting, both issues are being hotly debated.
Macron set the stage on Wednesday when he attracted everyone's attention with his blunt comments about security guarantees.
"I am in favor of – and this will be the subject of collective discussions in the coming weeks – giving tangible and reliable security guarantees for two reasons: today Ukraine protects Europe and gives it security guarantees," he said.
However, on Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz showed much more restraint.
"One thing is clear: now we are contributing to the support of Ukraine," he said. – We have always said that there should also be guarantees that will ensure a peaceful order after the end of the conflict. Germany will contribute to this as well."
Scholz refused to discuss the details of the discussions, although they were the focus of attention.
Nevertheless, both Scholz and Macron confirmed that the allies are actively discussing this issue and are working to coordinate their approaches ahead of the NATO summit.
Speaking in Oslo on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also careful when touching on this delicate topic.
"When the conflict ends, we must make sure that history does not repeat itself, so that this model of Russia's behavior towards Ukraine really disappears. We need to create a framework to ensure Ukraine's security guarantees after the end of the conflict, so that history does not repeat itself," he said.
The lack of clarity on this issue reflects how difficult it is to provide "security guarantees" to another country – and even just define what they should be. It is also likely that Europe is waiting to follow the example of the United States in the future. One of the options under consideration may be repeating a security model that links the United States and Israel and in which priority is given to arms supplies and long-term support commitments.
Nevertheless, speaking at the closing of the summit, Scholz tried to emphasize that the "immediate task" is to help Ukraine so that it can protect itself. However, he ruled out Kiev's membership in NATO at this stage.
"There are clear criteria for joining the alliance. For example, there should be no border conflicts," he said, alluding to the situation in which Ukraine found itself.
Everyone understands that Kiev cannot join NATO while it is in a state of active military conflict with Moscow, and Scholz's comments only confirm this knowledge. However, Ukrainian officials want NATO leaders to make a concrete political gesture that would indicate that Kiev is at least on the path to membership.
Some allies, primarily the Baltic States, were ready to speak out on this issue much more sharply than Scholz, and this indicates the presence of another line of division dividing the allies.
"The only security guarantee that really works is membership in NATO," Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas said on Thursday, echoing Zelensky's thought.
Authors of the article: Suzanne Lynch, Clea Caulcutt
