(CN) — At a summit that ended Friday in Brussels, European Union leaders gave war-ravaged Ukraine a much-needed morale boost by pushing forward its candidacy to join the bloc and promising to deliver Kyiv billions of dollars in aid.
The European Council summit was dominated by political maneuvering between EU leaders and far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin opposed to the EU's pro-Ukrainian policies.
By Friday, EU leaders were able to leave the summit with an upbeat message on Ukraine despite Orbán's resistance to opening the EU membership process for Ukraine and his veto of a 50 billion-euro ($54.4 billion) aid package for Ukraine.
EU leaders said they would hold a special summit at the end of January and seek to pass the Ukraine aid package. If Orbán chooses to veto the funds again, European Council President Charles Michel said the bloc would find ways to deliver the funds to Kyiv outside of its normal budget process.
“We have tools available to fulfill our promises,” Michel said at a news conference Friday.
The EU's show of support for Ukraine came as a morale boost after a disappointing trip to Washington this week for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In Washington, Zelenskyy failed to convince Republicans to support U.S. President Joe Biden's request for $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine.
Ukraine is in desperate need of money, ammunition and weapons as it enters the second winter of a war that has raged since February 2022. Hopes of a Ukrainian victory have dimmed since it failed to push back Russian forces this summer and autumn.
The Brussels summit was noteworthy also because the EU opened the process to make Moldova an EU member and boosted Georgia's hopes of becoming a member by granting it so-called “candidate status.”
The move to extend the EU into these former Soviet republics was hailed by many European experts and leaders as a bold statement by Brussels against efforts by Russia to stop EU and NATO enlargement. However, Brussels also risks inflaming tensions even further in the Black Sea region.
“This will be a landmark in our common history,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
She said bringing Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia into the EU sphere would make Europe more safe and prosperous.
“In a world that is shaken by multiple crises, it is an investment in stability; it is an investment in the security of our continent,” she said. “Also, it is an investment in prosperity for our continent and it is a big investment in democracies that stand tall and united.”
Zelenskyy welcomed the announcement.
“Right now in Ukraine, a lot of us are feeling really uplifted, and it’s a big deal,” he said on social media. “It keeps us going.”
He said the EU's decision was a big boost “to all our guys and girls who are in the fight for Ukraine. To those who are battling right now, defending our freedom, helping our soldiers — treating them, training them, getting weapons to them, and making those weapons.”
Still, Ukraine's entry into the union remains far from certain because of the ongoing war. Also, the process to join the bloc will require sweeping changes in the way Ukraine runs its economy, government, courts and society.
Similar problems exist for Moldova and Georgia, countries where parts of their territory have seceded and are under occupation by Russian troops.
Intriguingly, the vote to open membership talks with Ukraine apparently came down to a ruse.
In order to get around a requirement that council decisions be unanimous, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly asked Orbán to leave the chamber for a coffee break while the rest of the council voted on opening membership talks with Ukraine. Votes can be held even if a member state is not present, news reports said.
Likely, money played a big part in this ruse.
On Wednesday, a day before the summit opened, the European Commission announced it was unfreezing about $11 billion in development funds slated for Hungary. The funds had been withheld after Brussels accused Hungary of democratic backsliding.
During the summit, Orbán said opening membership talks with Ukraine was a “bad decision” because the country was not ready to join the EU. He said its entry into the bloc could be blocked in other ways, for instance by a veto from the Hungarian Parliament.
Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.
Follow @cainburdeau
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