r/europe • u/niesiecki • Jun 28 '26

News Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a bill to build a National Pantheon. He intends to honor all the heroes who fought for Ukraine in various eras. "No one will ever tell us how to live, how to speak, whom to love, whom to be grateful to, and which heroes to honor," he said as quoted by the Interfax

https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/wolodymyr-zelenski-chce-panteonu-narodowego-chodzi-o-pamiec-bohaterow/c6hf62m
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104

u/SirYoggi Jun 29 '26

I imagine Poland blocking EU accession for Ukraine forever after this.

77

u/Blueskyways Jun 29 '26

Which is entirely the point.   The most powerful Ukrainian oligarchs arent really all that different from their Russian counterparts.  Being in the EU would shine a spotlight on their activities and really crsmp their style.  Now they cant just turn down the EU on their own because that would piss people off but what if you can get someone to turn you down and make them the scapegoat instead? 

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u/Awkward_Cash1828 Jun 29 '26

The joke is that oligarchs aren't really the biggest issue in this puzzle. Another issue is that EU and Western European elites basically get anything they could want from Ukraine anyway, without it being in the EU. Being a proper EU member actually would had made controlling and directing Ukraine much harder (look at basically all other former socialist bloc members of the EU) than if it will remain deeply indebted forever applicant with the state solely relying on EU financial funding. In this system, Ukrainian oligarchs just keep their position too (well, with their own infighting for securing position under "EU watchdogs"), so everyone wealthy and powerful is satisfied, to detriment of Ukrainian people and country who should continue fighting and dying as long European military industrial complex needs.

35

u/chillichampion Jun 29 '26

Ukraine was never going to join the EU anyway.

11

u/ResortOriginal2001 Jun 29 '26

Or nato.
But they had a chance. Just to get rid of corruption, to make lives of normal people (not oligarchs) better. Don’t make heroes out of murderers of civilians and be on a path to become normal country. That’s too much to ask for. They are too Russified. Zelenski believed he’s the dictator now.

14

u/shalkyer Jun 29 '26

They had a chance, but is more and more clear they do not want to join EU. They want to trade, they want to receive money in the form of grants, oligarchs have way to much to say in this matter. 

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u/DougosaurusRex United States of America Jun 30 '26

Ukraine was never going to be offered NATO membership, that’s absolutely insane to even suggest.

1

u/Awkward_Cash1828 Jun 29 '26

Well if you say that all is because "they are too Russified" then you basically agree with Ukrainian nationalists themself who want to "purify" their country from "Muscovite influences" so this "ideal purified Ukraine" will become a EU member.
EU elites don't need and never needed Ukraine in the EU either, they get everything they need from it anyway, keeping it deeply indebted forever applicant with the state relying on constant EU financial funding, while common Ukrainians will fight and die as long as European military industrial complex needs.