Corriere Della Sera: Boris Johnson suggested that Zelensky create an alternative EU - with Poland and Baltic countries

The new alliance should be "as irreconcilable in relation to the military threat from Moscow"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky create an alliance in Europe, an alternative Euro-Juso, writes Corriere Della Sera, citing sources. According to the publication, we are talking about a political, economic and military association with the participation of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and subsequently, possibly, Turkey.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, Johnson talks about the "alliance of states that are zealous of their sovereignty, having a liberal approach to the economy and are ready to be as irreconcilable in relation to the military threat from Moscow."

According to Corriere, Johnson expressed this idea to Zelensky during a visit to Kiev on April 9. The Ukrainian authorities have not yet taken a certain position on this issue, but they did not immediately abandon it. According to journalists, Zelensky is waiting for the outcome of the European Union summit on June 23, at which a decision can be made to grant Ukraine the status of an EU candidate.

In recent weeks, the European Union has not been able to coordinate the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which was supposed to include an embargo on Russian oil; Meanwhile, as the newspaper notes, military and financial assistance to Ukraine from the UK exceeds European, and the help of Poland is German, French and Italian. If the status of a candidate in the EU Ukraine will not be provided, Kyiv can consider Johnson’s proposal seriously, journalists say.

Corriere Della Sera admits that the appearance in the public space of rumors about Johnson's idea may be due to the desire to put pressure on European leaders on the eve of the summit, and the project itself can be conceived by the British prime minister as a trump card in negotiations with the European Union concerning Brexit. The newspaper notes that the idea may turn out to be a “colossus on clay legs”, since Great Britain does not have such opportunities as the EU, to support Ukraine, and Poland and the Baltic countries may not agree to participate in the alliance that will complicate their relations with the European Union.

Disagreements between Western countries regarding military assistance to Ukraine, strengthening sanctions against Russia and what, by seeking the war, are one of the main topics of the last weeks. According to The New York Times, in the leadership of Estonia and Poland about Vladimir Putin they talk about a military criminal, whom it makes no sense to talk, while the leaders of the richest EU countries, such as France and Italy, fearing the consequences of a protracted war for the economy of their countries, are calling for peace negotiations with Russia.

In Ukraine, a sharp reaction was caused, in particular, the words of France President Emmanuel Macron that as a result of the world, none of the howls should be “humiliated”, as well as the opinion of the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, that Ukraine should not try to conquer the territories captured by Russia until February 24.