Russia's victory in the war against Ukraine would be a failure for the United States, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said today in Kiev, amid uncertainty over whether American aid will continue under the administration of Donald Trump, AFP reported.
„It certainly won't be a victory for American leaders if Ukraine collapses and Putin wins the war,” Borrell warned in an interview with the agency.
Borrell is the first high-ranking EU representative to visit Kiev since Republican Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
His visit comes at a difficult time for Ukrainian frontline forces. The re-election of Donald Trump has alarmed Ukraine and Europe, which fear that he will end American support, which is crucial for Kiev, notes AFP.
During his campaign, Trump questioned continued US military and financial aid to Ukraine and said he could quickly reach a deal to end the war.
Kremlin today refuted a publication by the American newspaper “Washington Post” that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone last week.
Borrell said there was no evidence the two men had spoken, but added that they “certainly“ they will in the future.
„This is not a surprise. This is part of the game”, Borrell said and explained that European leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have also expressed their willingness to talk to Putin.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Europe has provided a total of about $125 billion to support Ukraine, while the US has provided more than $90 billion, according to estimates by the Kiel Institute.
„I can't predict what the US position will be,”, Borrell says. “But let me say one thing - we must escape from the logic according to which the USA acts and we, Europe, react - we must have our own capacity to act.“
On the battlefield, Ukrainian troops have been losing ground to the larger and better armed Russian forces for months, AFP also notes.
Borrell said the goal of helping Ukraine prevail in the war remains “absolutely the same” and that the bloc's long-term commitment was evident in its decision to put Kyiv on the path to EU membership.
Putin's goal is to put “Ukrainian society under the boot of Russian domination,”, he said. In his words "this is of existential importance“ and that is why Ukrainians “must resist”.
Borel, who during his visit visited a factory for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles for the Ukrainian army, also believes that the EU should increase its aid to the Ukrainian military industry in order to reduce the country's dependence on Western supplies.< /p>
The EU has already invested €400 million to help increase military production in Ukraine.
„It is much more effective to support the Ukrainians in developing their own industrial capacity”, says Josep Borrell.