Borrell announces visit to Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will visit Ukraine in the coming days. He emphasized the importance of EU unity and the need to build its own capacity independently of the United States.
EU Diplomacy Chief Josep Borrell announced his visit to Ukraine "in the coming days". He told journalists about this on Friday, arriving at an informal EU summit in Budapest, UNN reports.
Details
"I have been working hard in the last years in order to make the Europeans understand that the world is a challenging place where you have to face real dangers. I said: "Europe is in danger" three years ago. Now it is clear that, in this new transactional world, in order to face these challenges, the Europeans have to be more united. This is my word. I am going to go to Ukraine in the next days. I want to go to Ukraine in the next days to see with the Ukrainian authorities how we can continue supporting them – because we have to continue supporting them," Borrell said.
"Anyway, we cannot outsource our capacity of action. Whatever happens in the United States, we have our interests, we have our values. Certainly, the United States is our most important partner. It is a fact. A historical, cultural and economic fact. Like it or not, the United States is our most important partner, economically, politically, culturally, linguistically. The history has built ties amongst us. Economic [ties are] also a very important issue that will not change – we do not want to change it. We want to continue being a strong partner of the United States, but we have to build our own capacity. [If we are] fragmented and divided, we will not be able to do that. [In spite of] whatever happens in other houses, we have to continue working in our house. The recipe for the future of the European Union is unity – I want to insist on that, in order to face whatever challenge. Certainly, the fact that the United States have chosen a President that will have specific ideas on the most important scenarios in the world – in Ukraine, in the Middle East, on the relationship with China – requires [that] Europeans have a clear understanding of their mission. Their mission – the most important mission – is to build Europe as a power, as a sovereign entity. Able to act, not outsourcing our security to anyone else. No one else will take care of our security," the EU foreign policy chief said.
At the same time, he emphasized that "[Russia’s war of aggression against] Ukraine is not only a problem for the Europeans; it is a problem of international security and respect of laws. This is something that has to be put in our position with respect to anyone – certainly, including with the United States. We have been partnering on taking into account the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and we will have to continue doing that."
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