The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, said Wednesday that sending fighter jets to Ukraine is not on the European agenda for the moment, after assuming that it is a divisive issue among the EU-27.
In a meeting with journalists in Brussels, the head of EU diplomacy insisted that the supply of this type of weaponry «is not on the agenda at the moment» and acknowledged that it is a «highly controversial» issue among the Member States.
This after France has opened wide the door to supplying fighter jets to Kiev, in contrast to other allies such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, which have been reluctant to take this step. The Ukrainian authorities have already stressed that Western fighter jets are the next item on their «wish list».
«My job is to try to have consensus and one of the best ways is not to take positions that could jeopardize the consensus,» stressed the High Representative, who said that the EU-27 should now focus on keeping their word and sending the tanks committed to Ukraine to the battlefield.
«This is not so easy. They need many requirements to function, issues of logistics, maintenance, preparation, transport or training,» Borrell argued, to emphasize the importance of the EU-27 sending the maximum number of the same type of tank.
On the progress of the war in Ukraine, Borrell pointed out that Russia is threatening an attack from the north, not ruling out an attack from the territory of Belarus, in order to spread Ukrainian troops on the front. «I don’t think it will happen, but you never know,» he said, warning at the same time that if Moscow launches a new offensive, on any front, it will be before Western tanks reach the Ukrainian army.
In any case, he reiterated the message of continuing military support to Ukraine for the duration of the war and valued as «a big step forward» the decision last week to supply battle tanks.
Asked whether the increase of military support to Ukraine represents a risk of escalation, the former Spanish minister downplayed the issue, clarifying that this question has always been on the table since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that already then there were voices warning of the risk of escalation since the bloc took the unprecedented decision to send weapons to a country at war.
TENTH PACKAGE OF SANCTIONS Regarding the negotiations within the EU for a new package of sanctions, which different sources point out will be ready for the anniversary of the Russian invasion, the High Representative has assured that the EU-27 are studying restrictions to cut all technological links between Russia and the West, in such a way as to reduce its capacity to exploit natural resources and manufacture weapons.
«We have to look for things that are sanctionable because almost everything has already been done,» he acknowledged, while not specifying whether the tenth round of sanctions could affect the Russian nuclear sector.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
