Diplomacy, sanctions and EU bid on 2 March 2022

What was Ukraine seeking from the outside world on 2 March 2022, the seventh day of Russia's invasion? The answer, judging by the days around that date, was several things at once: a path into the European Union, a ceasefire, and practical military help.

A membership bid moves quickly

On 28 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an application for the country to join the European Union. The same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine should eventually join the bloc, describing it as one of the European family. On 1 March 2022, the European Parliament formally accepted Ukraine's application.

Talks and a ceasefire request

Also on 28 February 2022, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak announced that peace talks had begun. Ukraine called for a ceasefire during those talks. The French president's office said that, in a phone call that day, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his willingness to make commitments to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and to secure major roadways.

On 1 March 2022, 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 mediate a ceasefire. China had also expressed regret over the conflict.

Military support and sanctions

On 28 February 2022, 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 any donations were made bilaterally by individual member states, not by the EU itself.

Sanctions also spread. On 1 March 2022, Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot announced he would urgently bring a law to parliament so the General Council could approve a framework for economic sanctions on Russia. It would 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.

Fighting and disputed reports

On 1 March 2022, a senior Ukrainian territorial defence official said Belarusian ground forces units had entered northern Chernihiv Oblast. The Ukrainian presidential office said there was no evidence of this, and Belarus had previously said it would not send its armed forces to Ukraine.

Also on 1 March 2022, Ukrainian intelligence information said the armed forces had foiled an assassination plot against Zelenskyy by killing a group of Chechen paramilitaries known as Kadyrovtsy, who had tried to enter Kyiv on 26 February.

Dissent inside Russia

On 2 March 2022, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for more anti-war protests in Russia and around the world, as well as protests against Putin.

Why the date matters

Taken together, these developments show Ukraine pursuing political, diplomatic and military tracks simultaneously. The EU application was signed, formally accepted by the European Parliament and met with a supportive statement from the Commission president within days. Talks had started, and Kyiv sought additional mediators such as China. Meanwhile, the question of who was supplying aircraft revealed differences between the EU as a bloc and its individual members, and conflicting accounts of Belarus's role showed how uncertain the picture on the ground remained.