Many in Europe woken up by Putin's aggression, but not out of bed yet – EU High Representative

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who is stepping down from his position, has stated that Europe still needs to make greater efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia and to strengthen its own defence capabilities.

Source: European Pravda, citing Borrell’s blog post on 25 November

Details: Borrell noted that Europeans have failed to provide Ukraine with sufficient resources to defend against constant air attacks on its civilian and energy infrastructure. Additionally, they have not given Ukraine enough support, particularly ammunition, to prevent the Russian army from advancing in Donbas – let alone to regain lost territories.

Quote: "Many have been saying over and over again since February 2022 that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was a wake-up call for Europe. But as political scientist Ivan Krastev rightly said a few weeks ago, in a debate in which I took part, there is a difference between being awake and getting out of bed to act. And it seems that many in Europe have certainly been woken up by Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine, but have not yet really got out of bed."

He emphasised that it is particularly necessary to act now, given that the United States’ commitment not only to Ukraine but also to Europe’s security as a whole has become more uncertain following the reelection of Donald Trump.

"We have no choice: it is imperative that we become capable of ensuring our own security. Our well-being and future cannot continue to depend on the mood of US voters in the Midwest every four years," Borrell stated.

Background: 

• Borrell recently urged EU countries to revisit his proposal to establish a coordination structure in Kyiv for training Ukrainian military personnel.
• He also proposed directing a significant portion of the second tranche of revenues from frozen Russian assets toward Ukraine’s defence industry.

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