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Opinion
Andreas Kluth

Europe Is a Vast Idea. How Does Ukraine Fit In?

Let’s not get so hung up about the European Union as it emanates from Brussels. The continent’s democracies share a bigger destiny.

Ukraine and Europe: already part of the family.

Ukraine and Europe: already part of the family.

Photographer: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

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If the leaders of the European Union listened only to their hearts, they’d fully embrace Ukraine into the bloc at their summit in Brussels this month.

As French President Emmanuel Macron put it, “We feel in our heart that Ukraine, through its fight and its courage, is already today a member of our Europe, of our family and of our union.” In that spirit, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, went to Kyiv in April and personally handed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the application questionnaire.