EU diplomacy Head advocates for military solution to Ukraine crisis
Following his visit to Kiev, EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell says that an additional 500 million euros were collected last month for the purchase of weapons to meet the Ukrainian needs.
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EU diplomacy Head Josep Borell during his recent visit to Ukraine
Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said on Saturday that the Ukrainian crisis would be resolved on the battlefield, and the European Peace Facility (EPF) has given an additional 500 million euros ($543 million) to Kiev.
Borrell said on Twitter that: "This war will be won on the battlefield. Additional €500 million from the #EPF are underway. Weapon deliveries will be tailored to Ukrainian needs."
Touched by the resilience, determination and hospitality of @ZelenskyyUA & @Denys_Shmyhal.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 9, 2022
I return with a clear to do list:
1. This war will be won on the battlefield. Additional €500 million from the #EPF are underway. Weapon deliveries will be tailored to Ukrainian needs. pic.twitter.com/Jgr61t9FfW
He also urged that the EU ratchet up sanctions against Russia, particularly in the energy sector.
"On Monday, I am convening an EU Foreign Affairs Council to discuss next steps," the EU diplomacy chief added.
3. We need to continue to increase our pressure on Russia. We have imposed massive sanctions already but more needs to be done on the energy sector, incl oil.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 9, 2022
4.On Monday, I am convening an EU Foreign Affairs Council #FAC to discuss next steps. pic.twitter.com/6qDyGU32US
It is noteworthy that Borrell's statement contradicts what the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, had said earlier about him still counting "on negotiations with Russia."
Borrell's statements are remarkable since no EU leaders have ever made statements about the primacy of military victory over a political solution to a conflict, whether during the war in Yugoslavia, Libya, or Afghanistan.
Nor were such statements issued during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was denounced by the major powers in the European Union for being based on misleading information and false theses about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to Borrell's statement by saying that the European Union has become NATO's "commercial relations department."
Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of Russia's lower house of parliament, demanded Borrell's resignation over the controversial tweet, emphasizing that the EU's top diplomat's job is to "seek a solution through diplomacy."
Borrell and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Friday to review the situation and share perspectives. The party also paid a visit to Bucha, where the Kiev administration launched a provocation against Russian forces.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, responding to calls from the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian forces, which has been ongoing since 2014.
Following the start of the war, the US and its allies have rolled out comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights.
