Media: Ukraine may pose threat to EU

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now stretched beyond 1,000 days, resulting in over a million casualties, with neither side anywhere near achieving its war objectives.

As Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20, 2025, pressure is mounting to find a way to end the conflict, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's initial plan to quickly capture Kyiv, install a compliant regime, and seize parts of Ukraine has been mired in years of bloody fighting. Meanwhile, Ukraine remains far from its goal of restoring its internationally recognized borders.

“Our army lacks the strength to do that,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding: “We do have to find diplomatic solutions."

Ukraine is gradually losing ground to relentless Russian offensives, its energy infrastructure has been devastated, many eastern cities lie in ruins, and millions of people are displaced. At the same time, Russia is enduring record military losses, facing increasing international sanctions, and grappling with a troubled economy. However, efforts to negotiate a peace deal have faltered due to the starkly different stakes.

For Putin, this is a war of choice, but for Ukraine, it is a matter of survival. “Despite exhaustion, we are ready to keep fighting. Russians are on the offensive now, they don’t need negotiations. Their only goal remains to destroy our country and our people,” said Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Ovcharenko. “We don’t have any other options but to fight. Just finally give us enough weapons!”

Ukraine risks becoming a nation constantly threatened by war. While Israel has thrived economically despite similar risks, the magnitude of the threat facing Kyiv is much greater and could deter investment, leaving Ukraine a fragile state unable to stand independently. This could be alleviated if the EU permits Ukraine to join, though that also presents its own set of challenges. An unstable and heavily armed Ukraine could pose a danger.

“How can we arm a country at our borders to its teeth without knowing who will be its future leader and whether it will remain our partner?” one EU diplomat questioned. Ukraine would prefer to join NATO or receive strong security guarantees from its allies. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cautioned that providing Ukraine with weapons “has the potential for uncontrollable escalation.”

Amid resistance from countries like Germany to fast-track Ukraine’s NATO membership, Western diplomats, including US President Joe Biden, have suggested following Israel’s model. Israel isn’t formally part of a defense alliance like NATO; instead, it is a close ally of the US and many European nations, which supply vast amounts of weapons and diplomatic support. 

Israel has developed its own world-class arms industry. This approach has the advantage of avoiding entangling Ukraine in an alliance that could drag other countries into a war with nuclear-armed Russia.

By Naila Huseynova