• Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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    11 months ago

    I think this view is very Russo-centric. EU helps the Ukrainian middle class by improving the economy and preventing corruption. Look at how much richer Poland is than Ukraine.

    • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I don’t think an opinion against Ukraine, is an opinion for Russia. Ukraine had many problems even before Russia invaded, and they did not qualify for membership. I’m just saying, there’s a reason for that.

      But I 100% agree that Ukraine would benefit, if it entered the EU. There’s just so much more to it that the people in Ukraine should be aware of.

      And don’t think I don’t wish for them to join at some point. I’m only saying that it’s not the next step.

      • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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        11 months ago

        I’m not saying that it’s a pro-Russia opinion. I’m saying that it reduces Ukraine to just being a victim of Russia imperialism, instead of being an entire country with people, politics, and an economy.

        Post USSR, Russia has had influence over Ukraine, but it never threatened to invade Ukraine, that only happened in 2014. Ukrainian polls show that Ukraine never wanted to join NATO before the invasion of Crimea/Donbass. In fact, I’ve seen YouTube videos that argue that the lease of Sevastopol to Russia was a way to guarantee to Russia that it wouldn’t join NATO.

        I agree with you that there are challenges with EU membership for Ukraine, but it is also something that Ukrainians have wanted for a long time, more than they wanted military protection from NATO. Considering the current integration climate of the EU, and the international focus on Ukraine, I think they have a good chance. Much better than countries like Turkey which has been backsliding ever since they applied.

        Kraut has a really good video going into detail what European integration will look like for Ukraine, and vice versa:
        https://youtu.be/hA6y4o0-1XY