EU foreign ministers in Kyiv to reaffirm support

by Olena Harmash

KYIV (Reuters) – European Union (EU) foreign ministers met in Kyiv on Monday, their first meeting outside the European bloc’s borders, in a show of support for Ukraine facing an apparent crumbling of international support.

In Slovakia, the candidate described as pro-Russian Robert Fico won the legislative elections on Sunday while in the United States, the American Congress did not vote on an aid package for Ukraine as part of the draft provisional financing law.

“We are holding a historic meeting of EU foreign ministers here in Ukraine, a candidate country and future EU member,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell on X ( formerly Twitter).

“We are here to express our solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people.”

Present in Kyiv, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, indicated that this “exceptional” meeting aimed to “mark our resolute support for Ukraine”, she wrote on X.

According to the Quai d’Orsay, France intends to emphasize during the meeting the importance of defining the parameters of lasting support, particularly at the military level, based on Ukraine’s needs.

She also intends to call for progress in the establishment of European support for reforms and the reconstruction of Ukraine to support the prospect of the country’s accession to the EU.

The meeting of EU ministers in Kyiv comes as the summer draws to a close without any notable progress having been recorded in the vast Ukrainian counter-offensive launched in the spring, despite military support from Western allies.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for efforts to prepare Ukraine for the upcoming winter season, particularly in terms of air defense and ensuring energy supplies while Russia has targeted energy infrastructure of Ukraine last winter.

“Last winter we saw the brutal way the Russian president is waging this war,” she said. “We need to prevent this with everything we have, wherever possible.”

HESITATIONS AND DOUBTS

Faced with the support shown by EU countries, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kouleba affirmed that Ukraine was still confident in the support of the United States.

“We do not have the impression that the support of the United States has been broken … because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine,” he said. he told journalists.

“I think it’s an incident,” he added, referring to the lack of a vote this weekend in the US Congress on the financial aid package for Ukraine.

In Europe, former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, winner of the legislative elections, will try to form a government. During his election campaign, he demanded that “not a single cartridge” of ammunition from Slovak reserves be sent to Ukraine.

“We do not change the fact that we are ready to help Ukraine on a humanitarian level,” he said after his victory on Sunday. “We are ready to help rebuild the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine.”

Slovakia, a NATO member country that shares a border with Ukraine, has taken in refugees and, under the outgoing government, provided military support. The country was notably one of the first to send fighter planes to Kyiv.

To form a government, Robert Fico will, however, have to ally with at least one other party which does not publicly share his position on Ukraine.

“I think it is too early to judge the impact of these elections on support for Ukraine. We must wait until the coalition is formed,” Dmitro Kouleba said on Monday, saying he respected “the choice of the Slovak people “.

(With contribution from Reuters offices, Blandine Hénault for the French version, edited by Kate Entringer)