The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, like the COVID-19 pandemic, will permanently change the international order and the world order. Against the backdrop of ongoing conflict, the situation can be described as changing day by day.
On June 24, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict entered its 120th day, and there were at least two major developments in the situation.
In the first direction, Ukraine was awarded the title of EU candidate, and Zelenskiy expressed his gratitude.
On the 24th Beijing time, the European Council announced that the EU summit agreed to approve Ukraine as a candidate for the European Union, along with Moldova.
European Council President Michel said the move marked a key step towards the European Union. European Commission President von der Leyen also said that the move not only strengthened the three countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, but also strengthened the strength of the European Union.
There is no doubt that this should be the best message that Ukraine has received since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Zelenskiy thanked the EU top brass on social media on the same day, calling it a unique "historic moment" in Ukraine's relations with the EU.
Zelenskiy also stressed that Ukraine's future lies in the European Union.
In fact, it is not surprising that Ukraine has become a candidate for the EU.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Zelenskiy knew that Ukraine would be difficult to absorb by NATO in the short term, so he focused more on joining the European Union.
Just last week, the big three of the European Union — French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Scholz and Italy's Draghi — visited Kiev en masse. During this period, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy unanimously expressed their support for Ukraine as a candidate for the EU.
The attitude of the three giants of the EU is unified, and it is only natural that Ukraine will become a member of the EU. However, although there is only a two-word difference between EU candidates and EU member states, it is completely different.
Becoming a candidate country means that Ukraine will officially join the EU once it meets the conditions stipulated by the EU. But the question is when Ukraine will be able to meet these regulations, but it is unknown.
Excluding Ukraine and Moldova, there are five more countries that have been granted EU candidacy, a title that has been worn on their heads for years. Turkey, in particular, has not been "regularized" since it became a candidate in 1999.
With so much to learn from the past, it is clearly not an easy task for Ukraine to eventually become a member of the European Union.
For Russia, Ukraine's accession to the European Union will not have much impact on it. Not long ago, Putin reiterated that Russia does not oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO, after all, the EU is not a military organization like NATO, and how Ukraine chooses is their own business.
Although the European Union has been committed to transforming into an economic-political integration organization for many years, after so many years, it has played more of an economic role, and has been politically constrained by the United States. Not to mention the military, otherwise Macron would have proposed the formation of a "European Army".
For Ukraine, the approval of the EU membership is naturally good news, but its significance is probably limited to the message itself, and it will not bring too many substantive benefits to it.
Movement two, still arching fire! U.S. heavy weapons arrive in Ukraine.
In the context of the increasingly unfavorable situation in Donbass to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed on the 24th that the first batch of "Haimas" rocket artillery systems aided by the United States have arrived in Ukraine, and the first batch of 60 Ukrainian soldiers have completed relevant operational training under the guidance of the United States.
Notably, the United States also announced on the same day that it would provide Ukraine with another $450 million worth of military assistance, including additional "Haimas" rocket artillery systems and ammunition.
Unlike the backward weapons that the United States aided Ukraine in the early days of the conflict, the Haimas is an advanced multiple rocket launcher system that can fire both medium-range rockets and long-range rockets with a range of up to 300 kilometers, with high accuracy.
Previously, Russia has warned the United States more than once not to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons. The reason is very simple, Ukraine is now the most lacking is the medium and long-range artillery, once the Ukrainian military uses the "Haimas", it will endanger the Russian military basic targets near the Russian-Ukrainian border, and even endanger the Russian sea ships.
Although the United States announced that it will only supply Ukraine with medium-range rockets with a range of 80 kilometers, Washington's behavior is obviously "lest the world be chaotic."
After all, the last thing you want to see a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is the United States.