EU membership could sweeten losses for Kiev – ex-foreign minister
EU membership could sweeten the realization that Ukraine has lost territory – particularly regarding Donbass – if the trade-off ends the fighting with Russia, former Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said.
In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Monday, Kuleba offered his take on Vladimir Zelensky’s idea of holding a referendum on territorial concessions ahead of any peace deal with Russia. Moscow has insisted that Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions are integral parts of Russia as they voted to join the country in referendums in 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also dismissed the referendum idea as a plot by Kiev to buy time, stressing that Russia wants “peace, not a ceasefire,” and calling a truce “a breather” and “another deception” on the part of Ukraine.
Kuleba argued that Zelensky understands that whatever deal he eventually strikes with Moscow must be “sold” to Ukrainian society, adding that opinion polls can vastly diverge from what people say “in the streets and in kitchens.”
“If people are told, ‘Here is what we have to give up, but this will stop everything, and here is what we will get in return – a strong army, billions for reconstruction, and EU membership,’ then, forgive me for expressing a heretical thought, I think this is something that society would be ready to accept,” he said.
The EU, however, has given no timeline for Ukrainian accession, with senior officials stressing that membership can come only after sweeping reforms. Brussels has said Kiev must meet strict conditions, including overhauling the judiciary, strengthening the rule of law, and tackling endemic corruption.
Kuleba also insisted that any peace deal should not state that Ukraine is renouncing the territory “forever.” He added that a referendum would be the only way to give such a settlement durable legitimacy, warning that simple ratification in parliament could be repudiated by new parties after elections.
Russia is in control of more than 80% of Donbass overall. President Vladimir Putin has stressed that Moscow will ultimately push Ukrainian troops from the region either through diplomacy or military means.
