EU High Representative Josep Borrell visited Kyiv in an attempt to reassure Ukraine of the bloc’s continued support in its fight against Russia.
“This support remains unwavering. This support is absolutely needed, for you to continue defending yourself against Russian aggression,” Borrell said in a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha.
Borrell also urged “faster deliveries and fewer self imposed red lines” in getting Western weapons to Ukraine, echoing echoing his previous calls to allies to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range to strike Russian military targets.
The European Union has already delivered €122 billion in military and financial support to Ukraine and has trained approximately 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Borrell added that the bloc aims to increase this number to 75,000 by the end of winter.
However, he also emphasised the importance of Ukraine’s ability to produce its own armaments saying its “much more efficient that you produce your own weapons by increasing your industrial capacity”.
Borrell’s visit to Ukraine is his last in his role as High Representative and follows the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States – a development that has sparked concerns over potential US cuts to financial and military aid for Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington were “exchanging signals” on Ukraine via “closed channels.”
He did not specify whether the communication was with the current administration or Trump and members of his incoming administration.
Russia is ready to listen to Trump’s proposals on Ukraine provided these were “ideas on how to move forward in the area of settlement, and not in the area of further pumping the Kyiv regime with all kinds of aid,” Ryabkov said Saturday in an interview with Russian state news agency Interfax.
But Borrell has said “it is for Ukraine to decide when to sit at the negotiation table and under which terms.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told reporters that Ukraine is ready to work with the Trump administration.
“Remember that President Zelenskyy was one of the first world leaders […] to greet President Trump,” he said. “It was a sincere conversation (and) an exchange of thoughts regarding further cooperation.”
“Also during the telephone conversation, further steps to establish communication between teams were discussed and this work has also begun. Therefore, we are open for further cooperation and I’m sure that a unified goal of reaching just peace unites all of us,” Sybiha said.
