The 27 reaffirm their support for Ukraine with an unprecedented summit in kyiv despite the first cracks with Eastern countries
The foreign ministers of the 27 will hold an informal meeting this Monday in kyiv.. and surprising. This is the first time that a meeting of this type has taken place in a country that is not part of the European Union and the announcement was not made until the day of the summit for security reasons.. It was the High Representative, Josep Borrell, who reported on the meeting through his social networks. “We reaffirm European support for the Ukrainian people in their defense of peace, freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity.. We will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” shared the Spanish minister, José Manuel Albares.
“Today I summon the Foreign Ministers of the EU in kyiv, to the first meeting of the 27 Member States ever held outside the EU,” Borrell wrote precisely.. This event takes place just two days before the summits of the European Political Community and the European Council that will take place this Thursday and Friday in Granada. The objective is to reaffirm support for Ukraine, which is working to open accession negotiations with the Union.
“Support will be sustained, it does not matter if the war drags on.”. The EU has shown that it is committed to helping Ukraine,” summarize the community sources consulted by 20minutes when asked again how long support for kyiv could last.. In Brussels they deny that there is fatigue, just as in the United States – at the expense of what happens in the elections -. In fact, the bloc of 27 has already become the largest donor of aid to Ukraine, ahead of that provided by Washington, although experts reiterate that it is “a distribution of work”, since the US provides military support and the EU the economic one.
And it is precisely that Ukraine and the European Union have demanded this Monday that the US Congress reconsider the decision to freeze new financing for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion within the framework of the threat of budget paralysis in the country.
The United States Senate approved a budget resolution at midnight from Saturday to Sunday to postpone the budget paralysis for 45 days and approve new accounts within this period, although the temporary measure excludes additional financing for Ukraine. Faced with this, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dimitro Kuleba, has indicated that US aid “has not been turned off” but it remains to be seen if the signal sent by Congress “is an incident or is systemic.”
On the other hand, there is the crisis in relations between Ukraine and Poland.. In Warsaw there are already doubts, although a total break is ruled out; but the photo is no longer the one from a few months ago. The most relevant issue in this sense is the Polish veto – and Hungary and Slovakia – on the entry of Ukrainian grain into their territories.. The three countries (and EU Member States) consider that their farmers are left in the background if access to grain from Ukraine is allowed, something that is not liked in Zelensky's circles.. The issue has been ongoing since before the summer, and at the moment they are still working on a solution.
Ukraine's reaction in recent days has been to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and has also requested that the entity open consultations with the authorities of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia with a view to resolving the disputes.. The process could, however, take years.. To this has also been added the controversy over the delivery of weapons. Poland looks inwards, and has let kyiv know this. He is going to arm his army first before sending new weapons to Zelensky's troops, although he has assured that he will send what is already committed.
And it is precisely that the cracks with the Eastern countries are beginning to worry, since the year and a half of conflict has already been exceeded and the friction not only with Poland, but also with Hungary and Slovakia threatens to jeopardize support for Kiev.. Slovakia is now precisely in the spotlight after the electoral victory of Robert Fico, a social democratic candidate but very close to pro-Russian positions and who does not want to continue supporting Ukraine.
The foreign ministers have agreed that the objective of the summit should be to “send another strong signal” to Putin, with a message of “unity” and denial of any wear and tear, even despite the latest controversies. “All my colleagues have come here with the desire to show and demonstrate the commitment of the European Union to continue supporting you in the face of Russia's war of aggression,” Borrell concluded.