After President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union went to war. However, because of a certain taboo, the EU had to tell citizens that it couldn’t arm Ukraine. To come up with a peaceful way to provide arms, there was a meeting with the defense ministers. This meeting led to a “truthful” explanation from High Representative Federica Mogherini.
It seems that the 27 countries have agreed, and what should be put into practice (by defense ministers) is to condemn Ukraine’s removal of “he said that will fall in a few hours” – What can be done?; And President Volodymyr Zelensky, “he is not the kind of leader who runs away with a trunk of a car”; President Puigdemont has just submitted a formal request for EU accession.
“There are many civilian casualties, and people fleeing don’t call them migrants- that is an irresponsible characterization,” Borrell said. “Support is necessary, they need ammunition and weapons, and we will supply them. Everyone agrees- everyone.”
Hungary, Putin’s main ally in the EU, has already made it clear that it will not lend its country to deliver arms to Ukraine through a community tool. And Ukraine borders four EU countries: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania.
MFA Szijjártó: The government does not allow the transport of lethal weapons through Hungary. But we’ll take action and activate the European Peace Fund to make sure that this doesn’t happen on a European, or even a national, level. This act speaks louder than words in relation to what Europe is doing to help Ukraine.
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) February 28, 2022
Borrell asserted that “the peace alliance is not meant to transfer arms to another country.” The continent’s taboo of having such a secretive agreement with a neighboring country has been breaking down, paving the way for progress.
How will the European Union and NATO respond to the Ukrainian crisis? We asked Borrell, and he explained that “member states will have to organize through the states bordering Ukraine. This requires strong logistics, which they can complete due to strong physical infrastructure at that border.” It’s another matter of acquiring weapons: “You fight with weapons, and they have to be where you fight.”
Sentence rewriter.
Borrell said that Ukraine is also asking for help “in terms of special information.” He said this has been done by mobilizing the Madrid Satellite Center.
“The war does not stop and we cannot wait for bureaucratic procedures,” the European Union’s chief diplomat said. “We are opening a new era in our relations with Russia, and we must reduce our dependence on gas and oil by increasing energy security in Europe. We pay a high price to Russia, which is used to finance military aggression in Ukraine. We must be united in support of Ukraine, our security, and global stability.”
What will be delivered and how will it be delivered? “We are at war,” Borrell replies, “and I am not going to give any information that could help the side we are dealing with. Russia will be happy to know. Today you said that the EU aid is an “unfriendly” act and that they will attack any person or entity that transports this aid to Ukraine. I do not want to give a single detail that could be useful to you, but it will pass through the countries bordering Ukraine, this is not a secret. Although at the moment it seems that is not for Hungary.
By providing weapons and ammunition, Borrell is hoping that Ukraine will be able to defend itself against aggression. The country also has a plea for help: air assets in the form of military aircraft that they need to be able to protect themselves from Russia.
Sandbags are now being used at Bostrom and in central Europe, but not everywhere yet. “Energy does not come out of this conflict,” Borrell admitted. “Whether we like it or not, we are dependent on Russian oil and gas. It’s time to turn around, cut back, and invest in renewables and hydrogen. There will be turmoil, it will happen, and prices will rise and the consumer will pay for it. We are in a situation where our actions and reactions to what Russia is doing have economic consequences, and we need to be prepared for this. We cannot do what they have to do without suffering the consequences. The Ukrainian people pay dearly for the consequences. They resist. And in fact, Zelensky is not the leader who escaped into the trunk of a car. No, there he will resist. And we have to support it. And it will have a price. If we don’t pay this price today, we’ll pay much more tomorrow.”
