By BRUSSELS. Nov 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – In early December, the European Union mission will visit Ukraine to discuss proposals for possible Community guarantees to Kyiv in the field of security.
This was announced by EU High Representative Josep Borrell at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, which took place after the meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs.
According to him, the issue of military support and security commitments to Ukraine was the subject of discussion by the foreign ministers. “You know that I have been tasked by the European leaders, at the last European Council, to build a security commitment from the European Union to Ukraine. We are working on that with the Member States. At the beginning of the month, I will send a mission to Ukraine to discuss our proposals with the Ukrainians. If I could go, I would be very happy to go, but in any case, my Deputy Secretary General for [Common] Security and Defence issues will go to Ukraine, presenting the proposal that the Member States are still discussing,” Borrell said.
At the same time, he added that these proposals will include an initiative to create a section for Ukraine in the European Peace Foundation, and this initiative will be presented to the Council of the European Union in December.
The High Representative also said that the EU continues to train Ukrainian soldiers, of whom there are already 30,000, which is 10,000 more than planned. In addition, the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also the subject of discussion.
Borrell said that head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmytro Kuleba, who took part in the meeting via video link, spoke about current priorities and needs on the eve of winter. “We know that Putin is again trying to weaponise hunger and winter – cold and food – [by] increasingly targeting the energy and export infrastructures of Ukraine, with damaging consequences not only for Ukraine but the whole world. We have to continue our support to Ukraine. Putin believes democracies are weak, [that] public opinion systems – which is not the case of Russia – will give up the first. We have to show him that it is not going to be the case. We remain committed to rebuild and reform, and to support Ukraine in joining the European Union,” the EU High Representative said.
