European Union 'part of the conflict' in Ukraine: Borrell
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The EU foreign policy chief says that though the EU is part of the conflict in Ukraine, it is not party to the war.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky shaking hands with EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell prior to their talks in Kiev, February 7, 2024. (AFP)
The European Union is directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but not the war, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated during the ‘Quo Vadis Europa?’ seminar in Spain.
“What is happening in Ukraine will determine the geopolitical future of Europe,” Borrell said to a panel on Friday.
“We must think about Ukraine when we become participants in the game. We are part of this game. We are not a party to the war, but we are part of the conflict, and how this conflict is resolved will affect peace and our security,” he added.
Borrell's explicit support for Ukraine, EU proxy against Russia
The top diplomat has consistently reiterated his stance on the EU supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.
At the World Economic Forum meeting held in Saudi Arabia in April, Borrell said that “Europeans will not go to die for the Donbass" despite the bloc's commitment to funding Ukraine.
In March, Borrell told CNN that Western involvement is “not a matter of supporting Ukraine because we love Ukrainian people,” but in the interest of the US “as a global player, someone who has to be perceived as a reliable partner, a security provider to the allies.”
The Spanish politician previously commended Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk Region, describing it as “a severe blow to Russian President [Vladimir] Putin’s narrative." Additionally, he urged Western nations to lift the ban restricting Kiev from using weapons deep into Russian territory to “help advance peace efforts.”
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine's Western allies of their explicit involvement in its war with Ukraine, a claim they have denied despite their funding Ukraine with over $100 billion in financial and military aid, while imposing sanctions and seizing Moscow's assets.
President Putin has accused the allies of seeking to fight Moscow "to the last Ukrainian."
US cannot be trusted over long-range weapon ban on Ukraine: Anatoly Antonov
Washington's claims of banning Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range weapons for deep strikes into Russian territory cannot be trusted, Moscow's ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky resumed calls with the US to allow Kiev's troops to use long-range weapons during its ongoing incursion in the Kursk Region.
However, last week, the Pentagon reiterated its stance of preventing the former Soviet nation from using the US-supplied ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300km, for strikes inside Russian territory.
US officials “seem to be constantly teasing us by saying that today it is allegedly not allowed to use long-range systems to strike at Russian territory," Antonov told journalists on Friday, adding that "in reality, they are essentially preparing the ground to simply remove all existing restrictions, at a certain point."
The Russian envoy based his judgment on the US' previous support of Kiev during its war with Moscow, expressing his certainty to TASS that Ukraine will “fight with US-made [long-range] weapons against us,” adding “Where exactly will it happen? We cannot say or foretell."
The ambassador described US President Joe Biden's administration as becoming unpredictable, highlighting, “There is no guarantee that the whole world will not change tomorrow when you and I wake up. How the Americans will behave in this situation is very hard to tell."
Antonov insisted that as a result, Russia must “act decisively, increasing our military-industrial potential, because only our army and navy will protect our country."
