Ukraine: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell after meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
European External Action Service (EEAS)
28.11.2023
28/11/2023, Brussels
EEAS Press Team
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Happy to welcome you again.
Happy to welcome my friend Dmytro [Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine], here at the European External Action Service.
Dmytro Kuleba is regularly coming to the Foreign Affairs Council - you will come also to the next one in December - but it was important also to meet bilaterally today in person.
Because the conflict in Gaza has been high on the international agenda, but I wanted to assure Minister Kuleba that it is not distracting us from our firm and unequivocal support for Ukraine.
Yesterday, I was in Barcelona together with the Arab ministers. Certainly, we pay attention to the situation in Gaza, but we do not forget about what is going on in Ukraine.
And I was talking with my friend Kuleba, saying that, soon, it will be two years since we travelled together to the Donbass, some days before the war started. Today, it is [almost] 650 days since Russia launched its illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Certainly, Russia tries to exploit the tragedy in Gaza to inflict more destruction and suffering to Ukraine, hoping that the world's attention is somewhere else, that the world's attention is being diverted by another tragedy. As they did the other day with a massive attack on Kyiv during this weekend. It was - if I am not wrong - the biggest air attack against Kyiv since the beginning of the war.
Today, I expressed to Dmytro Kuleba our strong commitment to continue supporting Ukraine and to help Ukraine push back the aggressor.
For that, in concrete terms, the 12th sanctions package is being finalised. I presented that to the Ministers. The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) is discussing the details. I hope it will be approved soon, in order to bring it to the Foreign Ministers Council in December.
We have advanced in our security commitments for Ukraine. The Council has approved a framework.
Today, we started discussing it. Next week, the Deputy Secretary General for [Common] Security and Defence [Policy, Charles Fries] from the [European] External Action Service will travel to Kyiv to share it with our Ukrainian counterpart, in order to make it possible for me to present [it] to the European Union Council before the end of the year.
Just now, the Member States agreed on increasing additional support funding for the training mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine ), which is one of the most successful missions that we have undertaken. It is about €200 million more, in line with the increasing scope and complexity of the training activities of this mission, that has already trained 34,000 soldiers until now. This is the biggest training provider for Ukraine.
If I may summarise, it is about €27 billion of combined - the European Union and Member States - military assistance to Ukraine. This is an important contribution to Ukraine's defence capacities.
But I know that we have to do more and faster. I am always saying [that] when I talk about Ukraine: "more" and "faster" are the key words I am always using.
Because for sure, Putin will use the winter to continue unleashing terror on civilians in Ukraine and attacking its energy infrastructure.
Also, two days ago, it was the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, commemorating the Soviet Russian infliction of a man-made famine on Ukraine, that killed 1 million people.
Today, Russia continues using hunger, winter and energy to attack the Ukrainian people.
In our meeting, we focused on three key issues.
As I said, we launched our discussion on the long-term security commitments of the European Union to Ukraine. It will cover security, defence, broader aspects such as financial, reconstruction, trade and humanitarian support, sanctions and accountability.
Second, we discussed Ukraine's path towards European Union membership - which is, at the end, the best security guarantee that the European Union can offer to Ukraine: the membership.
We discussed the next steps following the recommendation to open accession that we made at the European Commission.
Third, we discussed Ukraine's Peace Formula. At the last meeting in Malta in October, more than 65 countries gathered there, to demonstrate the continued support of the global community for this Peace Formula - which is the only comprehensive basis for a just and sustainable peace.
This is what we had today in our discussions.
Once again, thank you Dmytro for visiting us.
Ukraine is part of the European Union family, and we are here to support each other. Not only the European Union to Ukraine but also Ukraine to the European Union.
Thank you.
Q&A
Q. Mr Lavrov [Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia] is going to participate in the meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Ukraine will not participate, a lot of countries will not participate. High Representative, what are you going to discuss with Mr Lavrov, if you are going to discuss something?
I have a certain experience of discussing with Mr Lavrov in difficult circumstances. I will go to the meeting of the OSCE. We have to go. We [with EU Member States] are members of this organisation, and we have to present our views and counter the views of Russia. So, I will go. I will not have the opportunity to discuss with Minister Lavrov, because I will have to come back immediately after to attend a meeting of the European Defence Agency (EDA). But I do not want the seat of the European Union to be empty. I will be there tomorrow night, to participate in the dinner and the following day, come back. Russia will present their point of view and we - the Europeans - have to present ours. But I will not have a direct discussion with him.
Q. Some analysts say that there is an elephant in the room which is called "fatigue" for the war on Ukraine. High Representative Borrell, do you get any signs from the capitals? Do you have any claims from the Member States for a facilitation of any negotiations to end the war?
Look, the room is full of elephants. We have a room crowded with big issues and big questions. And certainly, the prospect of the war in Ukraine one of the most important issues [with] which we are dealing. But, to be frank, I do not see any sign of Member [States] having what you call "fatigue".
Everybody is concerned. Everybody recognises the successes of the Ukrainians - some of them people do not talk about, because you are focusing on the military counteroffensive. But for example, the great success of the export of grain from Ukraine, following the coast, which is working: I do not know how many ships - maybe you [Minister Kuleba] can remember the figure - how many ships have been passing through this lane exporting grain, avoiding the attacks of the Russian Navy.
The Russian Navy has been pushed out of the Black Sea waters and we have opened - they have opened - a line of navigation. Nobody is talking anymore about the grain deal exports because it has been solved thanks to the military capacity of the Ukrainians, pushing the Russian Navy out of their borders, out of their waters. And they have put a foot on the other side of the Dnipro River. So, everybody is looking at another war and maybe not perceiving exactly [what] is the situation of the Ukrainian capacity to resist.
And I am sure that Member States will continue supporting Ukraine because it is an existential issue for us. We cannot afford to get tired. We cannot afford it, because it is also our commitment.
Link to video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-249813
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