2023-10-02 16:08:18
EU foreign ministers held an extraordinary, informal council meeting in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Monday. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described the meeting as “historic”. For Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) and his colleagues, it was primarily about sending a “strong signal of solidarity” with Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression since February 2022.
Borrell announced the meeting almost two weeks ago, but did not give an exact date for security reasons. It was the first time that a Council of Foreign Ministers took place not in the EU, but in a third and accession country.
At a joint press conference after the Council with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Borrell once again condemned the “brutal and inhumane” aggression of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which in the form of the blockade of the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain ships also “the most vulnerable people in Africa and Asia “takes aim.” At the same time, he emphasized the EU’s ongoing support “in all dimensions”.
According to the foreign representative, the ministers in Kiev discussed his proposal to make longer-term financing commitments for military aid to Ukraine and to use EU money to support the delivery of modern fighter jets and missiles. Borrell aims to mobilize five billion euros annually between 2024 and the end of 2027. However, no decisions were made and were not expected, especially since it was an informal meeting. Borrell hopes to reach an agreement on his plan this year.
“We will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers,” emphasized the Spaniard. In the coming months, a total of 40,000 soldiers will be reached who have been trained in the EU since the start of the war.
Even before the meeting, the foreign ministers remembered the Ukrainian war victims at the “Wall of Remembrance”. The monument was erected after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pro-Russian separatists with the support of Moscow began a fight to break away from Ukraine in eastern Donbass.
The informal council meeting was opened by President Zelensky, who then called for further sanctions against Russia. The current strong Russian air strikes are evidence that the punitive measures adopted by Europe so far are not yet sufficient, said Zelensykj, according to dpa. Any deliveries that would enable Russia to increase its own arms production must be stopped. “This is clearly in the interest not only of Ukraine, but also of everyone worldwide who wants an end to the war as quickly as possible.”
Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU was also a topic in Kiev. After the start of the war, it received the status of a candidate for EU membership. In order for accession negotiations to begin, Kiev still has to fulfill several points.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna nevertheless emphasized this on X, formerly Twitter. “The future of Ukraine lies in the EU.” Her German colleague Annalena Baerbock agreed and spoke of an EU that would “soon extend from Lisbon to Luhansk.”
Several of the 27 foreign ministers did not come to Kiev, including those from Hungary and Poland – they were represented. The Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó immediately canceled the meeting. Hungary certainly has reservations about the EU’s Russia/Ukraine policy. The Polish chief diplomat Zbigniew Rau is reportedly suffering from Corona. He also had himself represented. Support for Ukraine in its current form was recently questioned by the government of the national-conservative PiS party during the Polish election campaign.
For Schallenberg, it is time to transform support for Ukraine into “long-term cooperation,” especially to strengthen the Ukrainian judiciary and the fight against corruption. “Corruption is poison for any investment in the reconstruction of Ukraine,” said the ÖVP politician, referring to the tens of billions in financial aid from Europe for Kiev and the investments of around 600 Austrian companies that are present in Ukraine.
Schallenberg also insists that presidential elections will take place in Ukraine next year, as planned. However, the current martial law in Ukraine excludes this and would have to be changed on this point. At the same time, apart from the security situation, such an election could only be held under difficult conditions: there are millions of Ukrainians who have fled their country or been displaced within their country. Voting is not possible in the parts of the country controlled by Russia. Of course, the West has also explained its support for Ukraine with the fight for European democracy, so from Schallenberg’s point of view, postponing the election without giving an exact alternative date is out of the question.
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