One week after Vladimir Putin embarked on his invasion of Ukraine, the only message from the Kremlin has arrived indirectly through the president of the French republic, Emmanuel Macron: the worst is yet to come. The Russian president is maintaining the loud and bellicose tone used from day one to justify an intolerable entry and military aggression against a sovereign state, in which the death toll already reaches into the thousands and the number of Ukrainian citizens dislocated to neighbouring countries has achieved the appalling figure of one million people, almost half of whom are in Poland. Meanwhile, in the main cities of Ukraine, the war is intensifying and the city of Kyiv remains under relentless military siege with the objective, which still seems remote, of the Russian army taking control of the country's capital.
The only news that gives even a slight amount of hope is the agreement reached in negotiations held by Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus on Thursday to open humanitarian corridors that will allow people who wish to leave war-torn areas. This is very little, of course. But it is something, at a time when uninterrupted bombing over several days has caused significant devastation and left the population without many basic supplies. These humanitarian corridors, with an agreed ceasefire, should serve to ensure the safe evacuation and transport of not only staple foods which are no longer to be found, but also medicines; and additionally, they could be used by organizations accustomed to acting in areas of conflict, such as the Red Cross.
But beyond the news in the humanitarian sphere, which also includes the European Union's announcement that it will grant temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees on EU territory, taking advantage of a 2001 directive, which will be activated for the first time and will allow them, for at least one year, to have a status similar to that of a refugee ―residential permission, access to the labour market, housing, health care and social services― the military conflict and its consequences continue to dominate the media reports after seven days of invasion. There is no indication that we are at the end of the invasion, as Putin is far from having completed the goal of his military action, although he has taken major steps in controlling the vast southern part of the country, which guarantees important marine access, via the Black Sea.
Although the political role of the EU in the conflict is very far from being able to exert essential influence on providing solutions, the Union has emerged as an actor capable of playing a role in the economic sanctions and providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens; and also as a space of liberty with which countries that are not yet member states will try to establish ties and seek the only possible umbrella in the face of the Russian threat. If in recent days Ukraine and Georgia have applied to join the EU, this Thursday it was Moldova that signed the application for membership. Around 100,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Moldova in just one week. It is a country of 2.6 million people, considered the poorest in Europe. Turning its gaze towards the EU is logical, as no one knows for sure how far Putin envisages his invasion will advance. Today it is limited to Ukraine, but if it works, who will be next?