For the first time, the meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the countries of the European Union took place outside the borders of the bloc. The 27 ministers traveled to Kyiv to show their “solidarity” with Ukraine, a “candidate country” for membership and “future member state,” said High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. However, the historic meeting comes at a time when gaps in support are beginning to emerge, after a spring offensive that did not have the expected results and in some countries in the middle of the election cycle.
“I am sure that Ukraine and the entire free world are capable of winning this confrontation. But our victory directly depends on our cooperation with you,” the Ukrainian president told ministers, according to a statement. Volodymyr Zelensky called for accelerating the process of transferring Russian assets frozen by Brussels to Kiev to support reconstruction efforts, in addition to more sanctions on Russia and Iran (which Moscow has helped, particularly with drones). In total, the European Union has already approved eleven sanctions packages and helped Kiev with millions of euros.
“Today’s visit is not about symbolism. It is a concrete instrument to counter the narrative of an alleged lack of unity.” said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, who argued so “Putin’s great expectation is that the West and the world will grow tired of being on Ukraine’s side in this war.” According to the minister, Moscow has allocated “huge resources” to achieve this goal.
Concerns about support from some European countries have increased. In Slovakia, Saturday’s parliamentary elections were won by former pro-Russian government leader Robert Fico, who promised in the campaign that no more bullets would go from the country’s reserves to Ukraine. Kiev says it is still too early to assess the impact of this result. There have also been problems with Poland. Warsaw, one of Kiev’s closest allies, is set to vote in two weeks and there is friction, especially after the blockade of Ukrainian imports. Hungary has always been an unknown, with nationalist Viktor Orbán one of the countries most resistant to supporting Kiev or sanctions against Moscow.
“I don’t see any Member State hesitating,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, reiterating that the European Union remains united in its support for Ukraine. The Spaniard said he had proposed to Kiev an aid package of 20 billion euros over the next four years, five billion a year from 2024, confident he will get it approved at the start of the new year.
Adding to the problems in Europe, Ukraine is closely watching what is happening in the US, where Congress has set aside an aid package to avert a crisis. to block of federal services. The Kremlin had every confidence in it “fatigue will lead to political fragmentation”, despite recognizing that defeat in the House of Representatives will not mean the end of US support for the Ukrainians.
WITH AGENCIES
Source: DN
