Ex-Russian President Medvedev mocks Ukraine's bid to join EU, says impossible until 2050

Amid Ukraine's bid to join the European Union, former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he believes it would take more than half a century for the war-torn nation to get EU membership. According to Medvedev, Ukraine may get the 27-member bloc membership by the 2050s and "the economic and political bloc could break up before then". His "speculative" comment came nearly two days after the European Commission recommended designating Ukraine as a candidate for the European Union.

Notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy applied for EU membership just four days after his Russian counterpart started a "special military operation" against Kyiv. The 'desperate' call of Zelenskyy was also heard by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as she carried the questionnaire book along with her when she recently visited the war-torn country for the first time. However, Medvedev took a jibe at the application and claimed Ukraine has been aspiring to become an EU member since 2014 and added the wishes have been unfulfilled since then. Further, he said that the admission of Ukraine to the European Union is similar to the building of communism in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

"We, the children of the 1970s, all waited for the onset of communism. Alas, it did not happen. The Soviet Union collapsed, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was liquidated," Medvedev wrote on his Telegram page on Sunday. "The situation related to the promised onset of global happiness in the USSR reminds me of the incantations made by the European Commission regarding Ukraine's EU candidacy," he added. The former Russian President then went on to compare the situation with Turkey, which had applied for the Union in 1987 when the bloc was known as the European Economic Community. He said it took Ankara nearly 17 years to become a member of the Union.

According to Tasnim News agency, the former Russian President had a pro-Western approach during his tenure. He used to admire Western policies during speeches. Even the former President adopted Western standards in education, the judicial system, business, and industry. However, after Moscow started a war against Ukraine, the news agency claimed his stance changed drastically in order to support Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What EU membership means for Ukraine and why Kyiv is desperate for it?

Kyiv has an association agreement with the EU, but it has long shown interest in joining the bloc. Ukraine's admission to the union holds greater importance amid the ongoing war against Moscow. Its admission will benefit Ukraine militarily since EU members are obliged by a mutual defence provision that mandates them to assist a country if it is the victim of military aggression on its soil. Besides, if it gets EU membership, it would boost the country's economic situation which has reached a new low in the last four decades. Apart from this, the EU membership will ensure Ukraine avail of extra benefits such as free movement within the EU and a slew of other rights provided to EU nationals.    

Image: AP