The Ukrainian fight to maintain its European aspirations
By SIRAJ 30-03-2024
The BRUSSELS — Even Olha Stefanishyna, the 38-year-old deputy prime minister whose job it is to make that dream come true, did not believe that Ukraine would get this close to securing a free and democratic future as a member of the European Union. No one expected that Ukraine would get this close to obtaining any such future.
Elena Stefanishyna had spent her entire life working toward the goal of integrating her country with the West and freeing it from the control of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. This endeavor frequently appeared to be an impossible task. On the other hand, Putin’s invasion in 2022 was unsuccessful, which resulted in Ukraine becoming an official candidate for membership in the European Union.
The Ukraine and Stefanishyna now have a genuine opportunity, provided that the country is able to survive.
Stefanishyna stated that for Ukraine, it is about “getting rid of the post-Soviet burden, this legacy of tyranny and suffering.” He also stated that it is about “coming back to the origins of the family of European nations.”
Stefanishyna and other diplomats are waging their own offensive to preserve Ukraine’s independence and identity by carving out a path forward in Brussels. This is happening despite the continued, albeit much more quiet, reluctance of European Union countries who are concerned that such a large and needy new member will divert resources from their own citizens. While the Ukrainian military is attempting to withstand the ongoing Russian onslaught, all of these diplomats are working to preserve Ukraine’s independence and identity.
This hesitation was on full show this week when France and Poland joined forces to advocate for restrictions on imports from Ukraine. This news came in the midst of demonstrations by farmers in their respective nations who are demanding additional assistance. Agriculture is the most significant industry in Ukraine, and the economy of the country is in a state of disarray; nevertheless, Kyiv has little authority to protest about the situation.
The entirety of the conflict has been spent by Stefanishyna traveling between Kyiv and Brussels. It used to be a simple flight that took only three hours, but now it might take her more than twenty hours to get from the capital of Ukraine, where there are no airports that are operational due to the persistent danger of missile strikes, to the capital of the European Union, which is overwhelmingly peaceful.
She is able to operate from a government building in Kyiv that is surrounded by checkpoints and sandbags. When air raid sirens sound, metal grates may be dropped over her office windows to protect her from the potential danger.
During the beginning of the invasion, she was separated from her children for a period of several months. Currently, she packs them into a car and drives them to a parking garage that has been converted into a bomb shelter on certain evenings.
While all is going on, things are proceeding as usual in Brussels. The leaders get together. Deals are brought about. She has been quoted as saying, “Countries and destinies are just files.” Because of this dynamic, she is required to explain the stakes of her country with caution, always walking a narrow line between asking and appealing, even as Ukrainians are being bombarded back in their homeland.
At the table where negotiations were taking place, she stated, “We are exactly the same.”
The difference, she explained, is that when we return to Kyiv, we are in a country that is currently experiencing conflict. The phrase “we are on the verge of survival”
The difficulties that lie ahead are both existential and bureaucratic in nature. The European Union (EU) assigns prospective member states a number of changes to implement in order to bring their legislation into conformity with the extensive rule book of the union. It is imperative that nations complete a comprehensive retooling of their institutions and markets. It is possible that the process will take a decade or maybe more, even under ideal circumstances.
In order for Ukraine to achieve success, it will be necessary to overcome opposition from politicians who are openly sympathetic toward Russia as well as isolationists who believe that the European Union club is large enough. Not only will it mean living to fight and negotiate another day, but it will also require asking the same countries that must decide on membership to help pay for ammunition and weapons and to provide shelter for people who have fled violence.
According to Stefanishyna, “It is normal because whenever we hear that Ukrainians are impatient, they are nervous, and they are ungrateful, it is also normal.” “We are a nation that is filled with gratitude… On the other hand, it’s simply like saying, “My children are living in a bomb shelling.”
