EU foreign policy chief arrives in Ukraine
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Tensions are soaring between the West and Russia, and the EU foreign policy chief arrives in Ukraine in another western move against Moscow.
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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
EU foreign policy chief arrived Tuesday in Ukraine to "show support" for Kyiv in light of Western allegations against Russia for its alleged intention of invading Ukraine.
The visit comes after months of tensions, with the West threatening Moscow with massive coordinated sanctions if it were to invade Ukraine.
"With Russia’s increased military build-up, I am here to show EU support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," Borrell said on Twitter.
My first visit in 2022 is to Stanytsya Luhanska and Kyiv, #Ukraine.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) January 4, 2022
With Russia’s increased military build-up, I am here to show EU support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to support sustained reform efforts that are key for resilience.@EUDelegationUA pic.twitter.com/SymF8CZAMU
Brussels said in a statement on Monday that Borrell was set to visit Ukraine this week to show support for the country.
Borrell will be meeting Ukrainian officials in Kyiv during his visit, which will last from Tuesday to Thursday. He insisted that "any discussion about European security must happen in coordination with and participation of EU."
Russia is facing US-European allegations of a military buildup on its shared borders with Ukraine, which they claim amounts to 100,000 Russian troops.
Moscow and Washington will hold in-person negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, next month, and both parties said they were ready to listen.
The European Union fears being put on the sidelines in light of the two nuclear powers discussing the balance of power in Europe.
Borrell will be visiting the contact line between the Ukrainian armed forces and the forces of the self-proclaimed Donbas Republics.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement that his visit "aims to confirm the support of our state from the EU against the background of the aggressive actions of Russia."
Kyiv also said Borrell would hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on "deterring Russia from further aggression, including through tough economic sanctions."
Russia has been demanding a written commitment that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO and that the alliance would not place any military equipment in certain countries in the region surrounding Russia.
The Kremlin sees that it is best for Russian security that the alliance does not expand eastward and that Russia does not have any Western military activity in its vicinity.
NATO foreign ministers will hold an emergency videoconference on Friday to discuss the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the alliance said Tuesday, citing the alleged Russian military buildup on the borders with Ukraine.
"An extraordinary virtual meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers will be held on Friday 7 Jan. They will discuss Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine and broader European security issues," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu Tweeted Tuesday.
