Borrell Reveals Mechanism For Defeating Putin
- 28.09.2024, 10:11
First, a military balance must be established.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell responded to the theses voiced during the presidential election campaign in the United States about Europe's insufficient participation in helping Ukraine.
The EU High Representative made the corresponding statement today in New York, during a speech at a meeting under the auspices of the Foreign Affairs Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Ukrinform reports.
“For the first time at the outset of the invasion we have been granting military aid to Ukraine. Believe me, it's not negligible. I was listening to one of the United States candidates saying: “the Europeans are not doing their part”. Well, if I add up all that we are doing for Ukraine — militarily, economically, financially, humanitarian — it is more than you. It is more than EUR 130 billion. Yes, the military side is smaller, but it is still EUR 45 billion, which is not negligible. Certainly, without the United States, Ukraine would not be able to resist. But EUR 45 billion in military support is not negligible,” noted Josep Borrell.
He emphasized that in the political dimension, the EU granted Ukraine the status of a candidate state and the prospect of EU membership, which, according to Borrell, was “unthinkable” before the start of a full-scale Russian war. Just now, the EU is providing Ukraine with colossal support by “taking 5 million refugees”.
At the same time, according to the EU high representative, the war in Ukraine remains an asymmetric one.
Josep Borrell recalled that before the war, Russia was the world’s top fourth country in terms of defense spending, while Ukraine ranked 37th. This unbalance still exists today, but it is leveled by the efforts of Ukraine’s defenders.
“But I have been in Kyiv. I have been in a factory of drones in the underground [level] of a building. I saw these people inventing and building 500 drones per day. They are not big, but they can fly dozens of kilometers and transport 3 kilograms of explosives. They cost about EUR 500 and can destroy a tank. Thanks to these kinds of new arms that they are developing, they (the Ukrainians) have resisted,” said the chief European diplomat.
He noted that he does not agree with restrictions on the use of Western weapons against legitimate targets inside Russia because the Russians are attacking Ukraine from their own territory. But the Ukrainians have learned to produce their own missiles that can hit targets at a range of up to 500 kilometers and even up to 1,000 kilometers. Those missiles recently destroyed a large munitions depot in Russia, causing what Borrell said was an “incredible explosion, 3.0 degrees on the Richter scale”. This strike by the Ukrainians saved many lives.
“I think that we have to support Ukraine more and quicker. We have to establish a military balance, because Putin will not go to the negotiation table unless he believes that he is losing. We have to give Ukraine an economic and a strategic power in front of Russia and let them decide what is acceptable and what is not. But we have to support them, because without us, without you and us, Ukraine may have to surrender in a couple of weeks. They are strongly dependent on our support,” noted the EU high representative.