‘They are one of us.’ What happens if Ukraine joins the European Union?

An appeal by Ukraine to join the European Union even as it fights off an invasion by Russian military forces has been welcomed.

“They belong to us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EuroNews. “They are one of us and we want them in.”

The European Commission is the European Union’s “politically independent executive arm” and is responsible for ”drawing up proposals for new European legislation” and implementing “the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for his nation’s immediate admission to the political and economic union of 27 mostly European nations, The New York Times reported.

“Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing,” Zelenskyy said. “I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure it’s possible.”

In a Twitter post, Zelenskyy called it “a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine’s membership in the #EU,” stating that “Ukraine must become part of the #EU.”

On Monday, Zelenskyy signed an official application to join the union, Forbes reported.

But von der Leyen did not indicate Ukraine’s admission would be immediate.

“We have a process with Ukraine that is, for example, integrating the Ukrainian market into the single market,” she said, EuroNews reported.

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts early Thursday, Feb. 24, “bombarding cities, towns and villages” as forces advanced toward the capital of Kyiv.

“We are not putting down arms,” Zelenskyy said Saturday, Feb. 26. “We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that his military forces are protecting citizens in eastern Ukraine who want to rejoin Russia, BBC News reported. Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden have rejected those claims.

Ukrainian forces are putting up a “very determined resistance,” particularly in Kyiv, which is under heavy Russian attack by artillery and cruise missiles, Reuters reported.

Ukraine, the second-largest nation in Europe by land mass, was part of the former USSR until it declared independence in 1991. It is not a member of NATO.

The European Union announced Sunday, Feb. 27, that it will provide arms to Ukraine, CNN reported. It has also closed its airspace to Russian flights and instituted other sanctions.

“This weekend, we have seen a tectonic shift in Europe’s approach to Russia,” Frederick Kempe, president of the foreign policy think tank Atlantic Council, told CNBC.

Can Ukraine join the European Union immediately?

It’s not clear whether the European Union will rush to add Ukraine as a member.

The last nation to join the European Union was Croatia in 2013, according to CNBC. Further admissions have been on hold amid economic problems.

Ukraine is not currently an official candidate for admission, although Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania have urged that it be added, CNBC reported.

Joining the European Union is “a complex procedure which does not happen overnight,” according to its site.

The nation must meet a number of criteria, including “a free-market economy, a stable democracy and the rule of law, and the acceptance of all EU legislation.”

A commission reviews the application, and then the European Union and the nation must negotiate numerous rules and regulations, the European Union site said.

The move also requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 existing members, Bloomberg reported.

What happens if Ukraine joins the European Union?

Joining the European Union immediately would provide Ukraine with military aid from other union members, which are obligated to defend one another if they become the “victim of armed aggression,” Forbes reported.

Ukrainian citizens also would gain other benefits, such as free movement throughout Europe and the rights granted to other union members. The move would have economic benefits for the nation as well.

This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 1:28 PM with the headline "‘They are one of us.’ What happens if Ukraine joins the European Union?."