Making a Bad Thing Worse

I understand Zelensky's motivations, but his request for immediate entry into the European Union is a mistake, and it has nothing to do with Putin and Russia, and everything to do with Turkey and Erdoğan.

You see, Turkey has been attempting to enter the EU for decades, since 1987, well before Erdoğan;s entry into politics, and they have been repeatedly put off, while other (Whiter and more Christian) nations have been admitted with open arms.

Various Turkish governments have been profoundly disappointed by this, and have attributed this lack of action to bigotry on the part of EU members.  (I am inclined to agree)

Currently, Turkey is trying to thread the needle with regards to its relationships with NATO, Russia, and the Ukraine, but if the EU were to grant membership right now, it's pretty clear that the Turkish polity in general, and Erdoğan in particular are going to blow a gasket, as the Ukraine met very few of the requirements for this.

Given that Turkey controls the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, could make things very difficult for anyone who might want to engage in operations in the Black Sea:

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the European Union on Monday to grant his country immediate accession to the bloc in response to Russia’s invasion.

In a passionate speech aimed at rallying Ukrainians to continue to defend their country and encouraging further international support, he thanked E.U. countries that have decided to supply arms to Ukraine over the past few days and said he had spoken to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, to urge her to take “even stronger steps.”

“We appeal to the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure,” Zelensky said in a video broadcast from the capital, Kyiv. “Our goal is to stand alongside all Europeans and, most importantly, to stand on their level.”

I am once again forced to call out a famous quote often misattributed to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, "It is worse than a crime, it is a mistake."