Josep Borrell stated that arming Ukraine and maintaining Europe’s unity comes with a price, something which Brussels must explain to the citizens.
Helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia comes at a price for Europe, which citizens should be willing to pay, the EU’s foreign policy chief has said. A Russian victory would be Europe’s loss, Josep Borrell believes.
“We must explain to our citizens that this is not someone else’s war,”The diplomat spoke in an interview with newspaper El Pais published on Thursday. “The public must be willing to pay the price of supporting Ukraine and for preserving the unity of the EU.
“We are at war. These things are not free,”He acknowledged that cost sharing should be considered, he said. “equitably.”
Borrell was speaking about the rising inflation and power scarcity issues facing European countries after they decided to sanction Russia for its attack on Ukraine. They refused to purchase Russia’s energy. Brussels is asking member countries to reduce consumption in order to better prepare for the peak winter demand. However, some countries are resisting this proposal.
Spain, Borrell’s home country, was among the dissenting voices. Last month, Teresa Ribera, Energy Minister, stated that “imposing unfair sacrifices”This was not the right way to handle the crisis. She claimed that people living in other countries are not like her. “Spaniards have not lived beyond our means from an energy point of view.”
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Europeans “cannot show a lack of solidarity”Borrell stated in interview that he was not amused by such quarrels. Madrid wasn’t appreciating this, Borrell said. “what this war represents to countries closest to it,”Poland is an example. Spain may benefit from the EU’s decoupling from Russia in the long run by becoming a major hub for supply of liquified natural gas to Europe, he added.
Borrell stated that Europe must be ready for Ukraine’s conflict to last for many years. He commented on European goals during the conflict. “if Russia wins this war and occupies part of the Ukrainian territory, then we Europeans will have lost and will face a much greater threat.”
Ukrainian officials claim that they will talk only to Russia once their military is back at the levels it was prior to 2014. That would mean capturing Crimea. Borrell claimed that Western nations are a “moral imperative”Kiev to be supported. He claimed that both the US, and the EU were in “absolute cooperation”discussed the matter and said that it would have been different if Donald Trump was in Washington.
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. These protocols, which were brokered by France and Germany, were signed for first time in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
The Kremlin recognised the Donbass republics in February 2022 as independent states. It demanded Ukraine declare itself neutral and not join any Western military bloc. Kiev claims that the Russian offensive wasn’t provoked.
