EU foreign ministers made history by holding their first meeting outside the bloc in Ukraine on Monday. The meeting was intended to show support for the country after a pro-Russian candidate won an election in Slovakia and the U.S. Congress excluded funding for Kyiv from a spending bill. “We are convening a historic meeting of EU Foreign Ministers here in Ukraine, candidate country and future member of the EU,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. “We are here to express our solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed his pride in hosting the meeting, highlighting that it was the first time a meeting took place outside the EU’s current borders but within its future borders.
Despite the U.S. Congress not approving funds for Ukraine in an emergency spending deal to avoid a government shutdown, Washington asserts its unwavering military and political support for Ukraine. President Joe Biden’s administration expects that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will pass a measure to continue aid to Ukraine, as right-wing Republicans who support former President Donald Trump have increasingly called for funding to be stopped.
In response to the situation, President Biden urged congressional Republicans to support the aid, expressing his frustration with political brinkmanship. Foreign Minister Kuleba assured reporters that despite the funding setback, Kyiv still feels confident in U.S. support. He stated, “We don’t feel that the U.S support has been shattered… because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine.”
Kuleba emphasized that the crucial question was whether the events in the U.S. Congress were “an incident or a system.” He opined that it was an incident and highlighted that Ukraine had extensive discussions with both Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
In Europe, pro-Russian former prime minister Robert Fico won the most votes in Slovakia’s election on Sunday and will have the first opportunity to form a government. During his campaign, Fico opposed sending ammunition from Slovakia’s reserves to Ukraine but expressed willingness to provide humanitarian aid and support the state’s reconstruction. Slovakia, a NATO member with a small border with Ukraine, has previously received refugees and supplied weapons, including fighter jets.
The EU has managed to maintain a firm pro-Ukrainian stance, despite pressure from Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban, who frequently denounces sanctions on Moscow. Fico, however, would need to form a coalition with at least one party that does not share his stance on Ukraine in order to establish a government.
Foreign Minister Kuleba cautioned against prematurely assessing the impact of the Slovakian election on Ukraine’s support, emphasizing the need to wait until the coalition is formed.
(Additional reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
