Since the war between Russia and Ukraine on February 24, according to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the 27th, Borelli said that the 27 member states of the European Union have decided to provide the Ukrainian army with a package of weapons and equipment worth 450 million euros, as well as "non-lethal materials" such as fuel, protective equipment and medical supplies worth 50 million euros. Moreover, Borrelli also said that the EU will provide jet fighters to Ukraine at its request.
On the 27th, European Commission President von der Leyen told the media that he supported Ukraine's accession to the European Union. On the evening of the 28th, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy signed an application to join the European Union; on March 1, the European Union has officially launched the process of considering Ukraine's application for accession.
On the 28th, the European Union announced the closure of its airspace to Russia.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, because Ofer Yeltsin adopted a westward policy and Putin's first two terms as president, Yeltsin's policy was still continued, and at that time Russia, the United States and Europe not only maintained good diplomatic relations, but Russia also joined the G8, so that Russia was able to tolerate the Kosovo War and NATO's eastward expansion. Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014 and the overthrow of Ukrainian pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia has decisively retaken Crimea, triggering the war in Donbass. Although the EU has also participated in the US sanctions against Russia, the EU's "bellwethers" France and Germany have adopted the "Normandy model" consultation mechanism with Russia and Ukraine to mediate the Ukrainian crisis, and signed the "New Minsk Agreement", so that Russian-European relations still maintain normal exchanges.
After Trump took office, under the POLICY of American Priority, whether in tariffs or military spending, a huge crack in the relationship between the United States and Europe was created, and France and Germany once wanted to form a European army to break away from the protection of the United States under the framework of NATO. Macron not only participated in the World Cup held in Russia, but also invited Putin to return to the G8 when the Ukraine crisis broke out, and Germany and Russia launched the "Nord Stream-2" gas pipeline project.
The US-Russia-EU relationship is delicate, and even if Biden took office, shouted "America is back" and showed toughness toward Russia, it did not change the delicate situation of the United States, Russia and Europe, especially Russia-Europe relations.
So why did the EU support Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War?
You know, 40% of the EU's natural gas and 50% of Germany's natural gas come from Russia, and if the Russian-European relations break down completely, it will also be a big loss for the EU.
In fact, the EU is also from the geopolitical and security strategy point of view, Russia and Europe sandwiched between more than 600,000 square kilometers of Ukraine, Putin's purpose is to de-militarize and Nazismize Ukraine, which means that Ukraine is disarmed and eliminated anti-Russian pro-Western forces, then the EU will lose the strategic buffer space with Russia.
In fact, the European Union also knew that the United States and Britain did not have any good intentions, and at the beginning of the war, the United States asked Zelenskiy to go to Lviv in the west, and British Prime Minister Johnson expressed his willingness to accept Zelenskiy to take refuge in Britain. It is clear that the United States and Britain wanted to invent Ukraine, which avoided war with Russia and intensified Russian-European relations.
However, Zelenskiy played three cards: the first soft card, on the morning of the 24th Zelenskiy said very sincerely that Ukraine does not have and will not pose a threat to Russia in the future, and Ukraine does not want any kind of war with Moscow, including cold war, hot war or mixed war. He also said, "Today, I asked for a phone call with the President of Russia, but it turned out to be silent"; the second sad card, Zelenskiy said: "We can only fight alone against Russia, who is ready to fight with us?" I don't see anyone." And he also said that 27 European leaders had been asked if they could join NATO, but none of them had been answered, and that the subtext was to ask for EU protection; and the third threat card, Zelenskiy said, Ukraine was not afraid to negotiate with Russia on issues including Ukraine's security and Ukraine's neutrality.
Zelenskiy's three cards, that is, to plunge Russia and the EU into an unjust place at the same time, but also to threaten the strategic space of the EU, so that Russia had to suspend the offensive, the EU began to impose comprehensive sanctions on Russia and aid Ukraine. Zelenskiy is worthy of the actor's background, and he upgraded the situation in Ukraine with "drama" and touched the nerves of the whole world.
Isn't the EU afraid of escalating into a world war?
Putin said very clearly on the 24th that Russia has been deceived, pressured and blackmailed by NATO for 30 years. Putin did not refer to the European Union, but to NATO, the boss of NATO is the United States, and the initiator of this Russian-Ukrainian war is the United States, the so-called "sky falling down with a tall top." Judging from the fact that the United States has always stated that it will not go to war with Russia, a world war cannot be fought. Although Biden said the United States has two options, one is sanctions and the other is a world war. But Russia's shift of strategic deterrence to a special state of readiness means that it has reached a strategic balance with the United States.
In addition, even if the EU assists Ukraine with some weapons and equipment, with Ukraine's military strength, it will not change the final outcome, but only slows down the speed of the Russian offensive and depletes the strength of the Russian army. The Russian military only for military facilities, not for the residents, is to contain and deter, and Russia's heavy weapons are not used, as long as the United States and the European Union do not directly send troops, it will not cause a world war.
At the end of the first round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Putin called Macron, while European Commission President von der Leyen expressed support for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, but German Foreign Minister Berberk said that Ukraine's application to join the European Union is not something that can be completed in a short time.
The combination of these two things is quite intriguing.