EU foreign policy chief to visit Ukraine frontline
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After speaking with Washington, Kyiv will hold talks with Brussels as the latter fears being sidelined in the talks between the United States and Russia over the balance of power in Europe.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is to visit Ukraine's frontline this week to "show support" for Kyiv in the face of the alleged Russian military buildup on its border, Brussels said in a statement on Monday.
Russia is facing US-European allegations of having plans to invade Ukraine, in addition to a military buildup on their shared borders, 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.
US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the rising tensions in a phone call on Wednesday.
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."
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.
During the call between Washington and Moscow, Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of severe consequences if Moscow invades Ukraine.
"I'm not going to negotiate here in public, but we made it clear he cannot - I'll emphasize, cannot - invade Ukraine," Biden said Friday.
The US leader told reported he had "made it clear to President Putin that we will have severe sanctions, we will increase our presence in Europe, with NATO allies" if Russia invades its western neighbor.
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.
US President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday in light of the rising tensions.
Biden "made clear" to Zelensky during a phone call that the "United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
