The high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, recalled that Russia continues its war of aggression in Ukraine although it has “disappeared from the news” due to the urgency of the conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas.
“In Ukraine, Russia continues its aggression. Ukraine has disappeared from the news but not from reality,” Borrell stressed in a press conference at the end of a council of EU foreign ministers, in which they mainly addressed the conflicts in The Middle East and that former Soviet republic.
The head of community diplomacy pointed out that “the war in Ukraine continues, civilian targets continue to be bombed, There have been at least 18 deaths in recent daysthe structures continue to be destroyed,” he summarized. In yesterday’s Council, he said that the ministers of the Twenty-seven discussed “how to address the most urgent needs” of Kiev in terms of defense. However, he acknowledged that “we have not yet managed to solve the problem” of the last segment of the European Peace Support Fund (EFAP) through which EU countries co-finance the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.
Hungary still blocks this new disbursement (the eighth) despite having managed to get Kiev to remove one of its main banks from the list of companies that, in its opinion, favor the conflict initiated by Russia. “We continue looking for a solution, in a way or another, we will find it,” said Borrell.
The Spanish politician also stressed that the ministers addressed commitments to guarantee the security of Ukraine in the medium and long term. “We have proposed a holistic approach that combines traditional military assistance with other elements based on cybersecurity and increasing Ukraine’s resilience on all fronts, from economic to industrial,” he commented.