Borrell doesn't see war ending soon but promises EU to keep supporting Ukraine
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (photo: Getty Images)
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, believes that Russia's war against Ukraine will not end anytime soon. However, he emphasized that the EU will support Ukraine until the end of hostilities, according to DW.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum session in Riyadh on April 28, Borrell revealed that shortly before the start of full-scale Russian invasion in January 2022, he visited Donbas and met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
According to Borrell, the Ukrainian government informed him that they were preparing for a Russian invasion and asked about the possible EU reaction – whether Brussels would urge Ukraine to surrender or provide the necessary weapons for defense. The diplomat said he could not answer that question at the time, but after the start of hostilities, as is known, the EU began to support Kyiv.
Europeans will not go to die for Donbas, Borrell noted, but could help Ukrainians stop dying for Donbas. The EU, he said, will continue to assist Ukraine until the end of the war, although unfortunately, this will not happen soon.
Ukrainians' vision of the end of the war
According to a survey conducted in February, 37% of Ukrainians believe that the war will end in 1-2 years, while 26% believe it will end in less than a year.
Another survey conducted in March showed that in the event of escalation or prolongation of the war, 35% of Ukrainians will focus on work and providing non-military assistance, 24% will try to simply survive. Only 7% expressed readiness to join the defense forces in case of mobilization, 9% are ready to join the defense forces if military actions approach their place of residence.
