Status: 04.01.2022 5:36 p.m.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been smoldering again for weeks. The EU foreign affairs representative Borrell has now made it clear that the government in Kiev has the right to choose alliances itself.
At the beginning of a multi-day trip to Ukraine, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell emphasized that the country had the freedom to choose an alliance. “Like any other country in the world, Ukraine has the right and freedom to choose its political and security alliances and partnerships,” Borrell told the Polish news agency PAP.
Nobody would decide on matters that directly affect the country without Ukraine. Borrell is traveling to Ukraine today and will be staying there until Thursday. Together with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, he will first visit the conflict areas in eastern Ukraine, then he will go to Kiev.
Russia makes far-reaching demands
Relations between Russia and the European Union and the USA are extremely tense at the moment. The occasion is the Ukraine crisis, which has lasted since 2014, when Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula and brought parts of the Donbass under its control. According to the USA and NATO, Russia has drawn around 100,000 soldiers near the border with Ukraine in the past few weeks.
It is feared that Russian troops could invade the ex-Soviet republic. Russia denies such plans for an invasion and, in turn, accuses Ukraine of having deployed additional soldiers in the region. At the same time, Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin made far-reaching demands.
He repeatedly demanded that NATO not accept Ukraine or other former Soviet republics as members. He urges agreements with the USA and NATO to prohibit the eastward expansion of the military alliance and the establishment of US military bases in states of the former Soviet sphere of influence.
Borrell pledges support from the EU
There is little prospect of Ukraine joining NATO in the near future, but the Alliance does not want to rule this out. The White House has stated that any country that is qualified can join the alliance. Third powers would have no right of veto.
During his visit, Borrell stressed that if Russia decides to aggression against Ukraine, the EU would be ready to take decisive action. “In the broader context, the situation is a threat not only to the stability and security of Ukraine, but to the entire region,” he said.
The NATO foreign ministers held an extraordinary video conference on Friday to discuss Russia’s military build-up in the border region. Next week, US and NATO representatives will hold talks with Russian diplomats.