President Volodimir Zelensky declared this Monday before the foreign ministers of the European Union meeting in kyiv that The duration of the war with Russia will depend on the support Ukraine receives from its allies.
“Our victory depends directly on our cooperation: the more firm and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end.”Zelensky declared in a statement released by his office.
The ministers were in kyiv to express the long-term support of the bloc to Ukraine, in a first historic meeting outside the borders of the member states.
Zelensky outlined A series of measures that, in his opinion, the European Union should take to help end the war, including the expansion of its regime of sanctions on Russia and Iranwhich has supplied attack drones to Russian forces.
He also urged to “accelerate” the work of the European Union to direct “the frozen russian assets to finance the restoration of Ukraine devastated by war.”
For his part, the head of EU Foreign Policy, Josep Borrelltried to reassure the Ukrainian leader by assuring him that the European Union is ready to support Ukraine “as long as it takes”. According to him, The support is “unwavering.”
The United States, the EU and the United Kingdom have provided enormous military and financial support to Ukraine, allowing it to withstand the Kremlin’s attacks. The aid is crucial to Ukraine’s ailing economy and has so far been indefinite.
But uncertainty has settled over how long kyiv’s allies will continue sending it billions of dollars worth of aid.
The president of United States, Joe Biden, assured allies on Sunday that the United States will continue to financially support the war effort, after Congress averted a government shutdown by approving a short-term funding package that cut aid to Ukraine in its battle against Russia. Many U.S. lawmakers acknowledge that getting Congress to approve aid to Ukraine is increasingly difficult as the war progresses.
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, told the press that Ukraine had held talks with representatives of both parties in the United States Congress to ensure the arrival of more aid. “The decision was made as it was made, but we are now working with both sides of Congress to make sure it is not repeated under any circumstances,” he said. “The question is whether what happened in the US Congress last weekend is an incident or a system. I think it was an incident,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that he had no doubt that Washington “will remain directly involved in the conflict.” At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that international support for Kiev will begin to wane sooner or later, and Peskov said fatigue will eventually lead to the “fragmentation” of Ukrainian foreign aid.
On Monday, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps insisted that “we are a long way from the US withdrawing its support” for Ukraine, and reaffirmed Britain’s commitment. “The UK, regardless of what happens elsewhere, will take a leading roleShapps said during a meeting at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in northern England.
The largely symbolic EU meeting in Kiev followed the weekend election victory in EU member Slovakia of Robert Fico, whose pro-Russian agenda has raised questions about the EU’s continued support for Kiev.
The small eastern European country could raise tension in EU discussions over Ukraine, as has happened with Hungary’s sometimes cool attitude toward kyiv. Budapest maintains close relations with Moscow and opposes providing arms or economic aid to Ukraine. Slovakia operates a key railway line used to transport Western military materiel to Ukraine.
Ukraine is hell-bent on becoming a member of the EU, and EU officials have encouraged that path even though it could take years amid a war of attrition with no end in sight.
“With every town, with every metro that Ukraine liberates, with every metro in which it rescues its people, it is also paving its way to the European Union,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in Kiev.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn stated that Western allies must maintain military aid “because if we do not deliver any weapons from the EU, from NATO, from other countries, then this war will be over, but
(With information from AFP and AP)
Source-www.infobae.com