Europe stands united towards Ukraine – this signal should be sent by the visit of the EU foreign ministers to Kiev. Specific points such as security guarantees and cooperation in the defense industry were also discussed.
Drumroll for the men and women who have died in the war since 2014, which Russia initially started in eastern Ukraine: EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell stands together with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in front of the long wall of names in the center of Kiev. There are countless photos of those killed – including volunteers from Belarus.
Sign of solidarity
A few hours later the two stand next to each other again, this time at the final press conference in Kiev. The meeting of EU foreign ministers is an important sign of solidarity that has been going on for a long time, said Borrell. Security issues were a central part of the discussion and also in discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
We talked about security guarantees that we can offer Ukraine and how we can support Ukraine in the long term so that it can stand up to Russian aggression and destabilization.
There are many aspects here, explains Borrell – for example the military aspect. And: The EU member states would have to agree on a multi-year financial framework support. In the coming months, another 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained – including on modern fighter jets, said Borell.
In addition, the Ukrainian and European defense industries should work more closely together. Last week, a first important step in this direction was taken at a conference in Kiev, explained Borrell.
Kuleba: EUAccession negotiations until the end of the year
Foreign Minister Kuleba also saw the informal meeting as much more than just symbolism and thus a signal to Russia that Ukraine and its partners were united, while Moscow continued to spread the narrative of division.
Ukraine’s EU accession was also on the meeting’s agenda. Kiev is a candidate for EU membership and, according to Kuleba, expects accession negotiations to begin by the end of the year. The Ukrainian minister repeatedly emphasized the unity and solidarity with the EU.
“No matter what situations arise, we always find a solution.”
Putin’s greatest expectation is that “the West and the world will get tired of being on Ukraine’s side in this war,” Kuleba added. Russia is providing enormous resources for this.
Baerbock: Meeting Signal to Moscow
For German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the meeting in Kiev was also an unmistakable signal to Moscow. It was already noticeably cold in Ukraine, she emphasized during her second visit to Kiev in just a few weeks. She called for a so-called winter protective shield for Ukraine. This consists of air defense and the protection of critical infrastructure – but also more generators and a stronger energy supply, said Baerbock.
In the afternoon, Baerbock was shown the Babyn Jar memorial. German police, SS and Wehrmacht members and their local helpers murdered around 33,000 Jews there in just two days at the end of September 1941. In total, at least 100,000 people were killed by the Germans during the occupation of Kiev on the site of Babyn Yar.
Rabbi Levi Matusof and Rabbi Raphael Rutman from the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine stand with Annalena Baerbock at the memorial.
These included members of the Red Army, people with mental illnesses from a nearby psychiatric hospital and members of the Roma in Ukraine. The German genocide was also commemorated in Babyn Yar in Ukraine last weekend.