EU High Representative Josep Borrell welcomed the decision of current US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use its weapons to attack Russian territory. After Vladimir Putin launched one of the most severe attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the head of European diplomacy reiterated that “Ukraine should be able to use the weapons” sent to it by its allies “not only to stop the arrows but also to be able to hit the bows.
In statements to journalists before chairing the last meeting of foreign ministers of his term, Borrell reiterated that it was necessary to continue supporting Ukraine and that “nothing has changed”, despite the state elections -United, where the victory of Donald Trump puts This country’s position in the conflict is threatened: “There is a war, Ukraine is defending itself, Russia continues to attack and we will continue to support it. “We must continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, as much as possible and as quickly as possible,” he added.
Regarding the use of long-range missiles against Russian soil, Borrell wanted it to be an agreement between member states – it’s complicated because some doubt it would mean an escalation of the conflict – or that they do it individually. There are countries that agree with this decision, such as France. “It is an option that we must consider if it allows us to achieve the objectives from which Russia attacks Ukraine,” declared the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
Ukraine is one of the main files on the table of foreign ministers this Monday, as it has been since February 2022, but the highlight will be the war in the Middle East. In his farewell, Borrell spoke of the suspension of political dialogue with Israel as a signal to question the violation of human rights in the Gaza massacre, as well as by the settlers. “We are at a loss for words to explain what is happening in the Middle East,” Borrell said before recalling that more than 44,000 people have been murdered in Gaza, the majority of them women and children. “The most frequent victims are children under the age of nine,” he stressed.
Despite this situation, there is no consensus in the capitals to reach this decision. Even though the French minister acknowledged that the situation is “catastrophic”, he missed the ball regarding the suspension of political dialogue, which in practice would have little effect because, according to diplomatic sources, Tel -Aviv still does not listen to its partners and this has no financial or commercial consequences either. What Barrot emphasized was the need to impose more sanctions against Hamas and violent settlers in the interest of “security.”
Most countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, rule out a break in relations with Israel. “The last thing we need is something controversial that further divides us at the table,” diplomatic sources said last week, who viewed Borrell’s proposal as “a parting gift to a party.”
And it is precisely this disunity within the EU that the High Representative referred to: “At the start of my mandate, I said that we had to learn to use the language of power. This is more true today than five years ago. To show that we have power, we must be united. If you are not united, you have no power, and too often we have not been united and the discussions have gone on for too long. You are not a geopolitical power if it takes you days, weeks or months to make decisions. »
