The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) met this Monday in the Ukrainian capital for a “historic” meeting outside the borders of the bloc.
This meeting occurs in full but slow Ukrainian counteroffensive to the Russian invasion that began in February 2022, and while The country is pushing to enter the block of 27, where the discrepancies regarding support for
kyiv.
“We are here convened at a historic meeting of Foreign Ministers here in Ukraine, a candidate country and future member of the EU,” said the head of diplomacy of the bloc of 27, Josep Borrell, in a statement on social networks. .
“We are here to express our solidarity and our support for the Ukrainian people,” added the head of the bloc’s diplomacy. “Ukraine’s future is in the EU.”
As host, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba welcomed the fact that the meeting was going ahead in kyiv.
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“It is a historic event because for the first time we meet outside (…) the borders of the European Union, but within the future borders of the European Union,” declared Kuleba.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stressed that the meeting in kyiv is “an exceptional diplomatic gesture” and It is “a message to Russia” of the bloc’s determination to support Ukraine in the long term.
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For Colonna, this meeting shows that “Ukraine is part of the European family.” “We’re going to be here for a long time,” she told reporters.
Her Dutch counterpart, Hanke Bruins Slot, stressed that it is “very important” to meet in Kiev “to show solidarity with Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and the brave soldiers who fight every day for freedom.”
We are convening a historic meeting of EU Foreign Ministers here in Ukraine, candidate country and future member of the EU.
We are here to express our solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people.https://t.co/zcv6agCcIy
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 2, 2023
Ukraine obtained EU candidate status in 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian invasion and hopes to begin official negotiations to enter the bloc of 27, without a set calendar.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed to speed up the accession process due to the Russian invasion.
In fact, the new EU ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, estimated during an interview with a Ukrainian media published on Friday that the country’s accession in 2030 is a “realistic” objective.
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An accession of the country (Ukraine) in 2030 is a realistic goal
The EU’s 27 members remained largely united in their support for Ukraine, imposing 11 rounds of sanctions on Russia and spending billions of euros on arms for kyiv.
However, the fear of cracks appearing in the block increases as does concern about the support of the United States, kyiv’s main support.
“The fatigue of completely absurd support for the kyiv regime will increase in several countries,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Monday.
Hungary, Russia’s main ally in the EU, could be joined by Slovakia after populist Robert Fico, who opposes continuing to support Ukraine, won the elections this weekend.
There were also tensions between kyiv and some of its most strident supporters in eastern Europe, especially Poland, over the arrival of Ukrainian grain to its markets.
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In June, kyiv launched its long-awaited counteroffensive but admitted its progress was slow in the face of fortified Russian defenses. Ukraine calls for more Western weapons, especially long-range missiles, to recover territories occupied by Russian forces.
Officials have warned that Russia has resumed a systematic campaign of airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, a strategy that left millions of people without heat and water for long periods last year.
*With AFP
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