What did 1 March 2022 mean for Ukraine's EU bid?

What happened on 1 March 2022, and why did diplomacy move so quickly? Looking back, the day brought a formal step towards Europe for Ukraine, new offers of mediation and a series of contested reports from the battlefield.

A formal step towards the EU

On 1 March 2022, the European Parliament formally accepted Ukraine's application for EU membership. The step followed events of 28 February, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the application. On the same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine should eventually join the EU, calling it one of the bloc's own and saying the EU wanted to see it in the European family.

Arms and aircraft

The days before 1 March had also brought shifts in military support. On 28 February, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced that Sweden would send military equipment, including anti-tank launchers, to Ukraine. That broke with a doctrine of not sending arms to countries engaged in active conflict.

Also on 28 February, Ukrainian Air Force pilots began arriving in Poland to take control of fighter aircraft donated by EU countries. The Ukrainian government said 70 jets were being handed over: 28 MiG-29s from Poland, 12 from Slovakia, 16 from Bulgaria, and 14 Sukhoi Su-25s from Bulgaria. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said he had rejected the request. EU security chief Josep Borrell later clarified that the donations were made bilaterally by individual member states, not by the EU itself.

Sanctions widen

Pressure on Moscow also spread to smaller European states. On 1 March 2022, Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot announced that he would take urgent legislation to parliament on Wednesday, so that the General Council could approve a framework for economic sanctions on Russia. The law was meant to freeze the bank assets of 700 people and 50 companies that the EU considers linked to the invasion. It would be the first time in Andorra's history that sanctions were applied to a foreign country.

Talks and mediation

On the diplomatic track, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak announced on 28 February that peace talks had begun. Ukraine called for a ceasefire during them. The same day, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said that, in a phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin had confirmed his willingness to make commitments to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and to secure major roadways.

On 1 March, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked China to help mediate a ceasefire. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded that China was ready to help Russia and Ukraine reach an agreement and to mediate a ceasefire. China had also expressed regret over the conflict.

Disputed reports from the north

Not everything reported on 1 March was confirmed. A senior Ukrainian territorial defence forces official said Belarusian Ground Forces units had entered northern Chernihiv Oblast. Ukraine's presidential office said there was no evidence that this had happened. Belarus had previously said it would not send its armed forces to Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence information, as reported on 1 March, also described a foiled assassination plot against Zelenskyy. According to that information, Ukrainian forces killed a group of Chechen paramilitaries known as Kadyrovtsy who had been trying to enter Kyiv on 26 February.

The picture on 1 March

Taken together, the reports show a day on which Ukraine sought support on several fronts at once: membership in Europe, weapons from neighbours, sanctions on Russia and mediation from Beijing, while talks with Russia had already started and disputes over the battlefield continued.