Support for Ukraine is leading to changes on the battlefield, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told a news conference after a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council.
We must continue to help, it is especially important now, because the war is at a turning point. We cannot and will not leave Ukraine without the necessary equipment. The battle in Donbass is a time for a counter-offensive by the Ukrainians and the expulsion of the Russians, he added.
I do not know how long Russia would have resisted, but if it had indeed lost 15 percent of its troops since the start of the war in Ukraine, it would have been a world record, including for losses suffered by the invading country. The material losses are also huge, I don’t know if the Russians can make up for them, but these are impressive losses, he added.
European military aid to Ukraine will soon reach two billion euros, but that is only part of the effort – EU countries are providing aid on their own. The total is much larger than people think. We must continue until the end, Borel insisted.
European advisers are returning to Kyiv to help guard the borders and investigate war crimes, he said.
Borrell noted that in the last decade, the EU has essentially disarmed itself because it has not allocated enough funds for defense and is still on the path to recovery. According to him, during this time the EU has failed to invest more than 130 billion euros in defense capabilities. According to him, the EU’s short-term goal is to replenish arms, the medium-term goal is to increase capabilities, and the long-term goal is to strengthen and modernize the armed forces. Borrell added that the war in Ukraine clearly shows the need for these steps to be taken.
The High Representative said Sweden and Finland could count on the EU’s full support on their path to NATO. We hope to join the Alliance soon, this is an important geopolitical change, he explained. Borrell expressed satisfaction that, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, such a move does not pose a threat.
Borrell said the EU treaty stipulates that when a Community country is attacked on its own territory by foreign forces, it can seek help from others in the EU. He clarified that other EU countries are obliged to come to the rescue with all the means at their disposal, BTA reported.
–
