On February 18, Russia, through its spokesman Dmitri Pestov, recognized Ukraine's “sovereign right” to join the EU, but not NATO, for reasons of security and military alliances. [1] The Kremlin is clearly unfamiliar with European institutions. Indeed, beyond Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (or Washington Treaty, signed in 1949, the founding act of NATO), the European Union has its own mechanism for assistance in the event of an attack: Article 42, paragraph 7 of the Treaty on European Union (mutual defense clause inserted into the Lisbon Treaty of 2007). This clause states that "If a Member State is the object of an armed attack on its territory, the other Member States shall assist it by all means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations." This obligation of mutual defense binds all Member States. [2] So, while Ukraine's accession to the EU will bring economic and financial benefits for the country, notably for reconstruction (through the European Structural and Investment Funds), Kyiv's main motivation is political (to leave Russia's orbit) and security (EU will be a first step towards NATO).
Agrandissement : Illustration 1
[1] Russia: Ukraine has a ‘sovereign right’ to join EU — but not NATO, Politico, February 18, 2025
https://www.politico.eu/article/dmitrt-peskov-kremlin-ukraine-sovereign-right-join-eu-not-nato/
‘This is The Sovereign Right of Any Country’ – Kremlin Acknowledges Ukraine’s Right to Join EU, Kyiv Post, February 18, 2025
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/47340
Кремль считает вступление Украины в ЕС суверенным правом Киева, TACC, 18 февраля 2025
https://tass.ru/politika/23171263
[2] Eur-lex, Document 12016M042.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/teu_2016/art_42/oj
Eur-lex, Mutual Defense Clause
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/mutual-defence-clause.html