Can the EU defend Ukraine?

Speaking via video link to the Italian parliament on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the need for ‘reconstruction of Ukraine after this war. Together with you, together with Italy. Together with Europe. Together – in the European Union.’

Ukraine wants the European Union – and if statements by EU leaders are anything to go by, the EU wants Ukraine too. There can, meanwhile, be little doubt about Zelensky’s assertion that Ukraine has ‘earned’ EU membership after its inspiring fight for national sovereignty – if that’s what the country wants. But those within the bloc calling for Ukraine to join, either now or at some vague point in the future, will eventually have to grapple with the considerable can of worms which the proposition opens up.

The fattest of these worms goes by the name of Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union. This mutual defence clause says that ‘if a member state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member states shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power’. This sounds similar to NATO’s Article 5 on collective defence – but the EU text goes on to say that mutual defence obligations ‘shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states’.

 
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Πηγή: capx.co