Macron Opposes Speedy Approval of Ukraine into EU

Following the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine has submitted its EU membership application twice and requested to expedite the process. Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, is devoted to the speedy processing of Ukraine’s membership application, backed by central and eastern European states.

French President Emmenuel Macron addressed during a European Parliament meeting held in Strasbourg, France, that the EU should not speed up the application process by lowering the standard for accession, and he explicitly said that Ukraine’s journey to join the EU could take decades.

Macron proposed “a European political community,” a new sphere of political cooperation for countries that adhere to EU values or yearn for EU membership during the incorporation process.

In addition, Macron warned that Moscow and Kyiv must sit down to negotiate a peaceful solution, and any further tensions would worsen the situation, therefore, the denial, exclusion, and even humiliation of Russia needed to be stopped. Moreover, Macron argued that “even after the war is over, no punitive measures should be taken against Russia.”

Macron’s stance toward Russia has tended to moderate after a two-hour-long phone call with Russian President Putin earlier this month, obviously becoming less hard than before when he was seeking re-election.