Ukrainians waved European Union flags when they put their lives on the line in 2014 during their revolution in Maidan Square, in the center of Kyiv, provoked by their desire to draw closer to the West. It was a pivotal moment, choosing Europe over Russia and incurring the Kremlin’s wrath.
Now, fighting a Russian invasion and seeking meaningful help from the European Union, Ukrainians are asking to become EU members, and soon. The call is being joined by two neighboring countries, Moldova and Georgia, which also feel vulnerable to Russia and seek to shelter under the EU umbrella.
"The European Union is going to be stronger with us,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said via video link from his bunker at a special session in the European Parliament this week. "Prove that you are with us and you will not let us go.”