EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell during the European Parliament debate on the year of Russia's war against Ukraine, February 15, 2023.
Strasbourg (France) – Europe in Russian attack on Ukraine had to wake up to a completely new reality, to a new world, said the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at the beginning of the European Parliament's debate on the year of Russia's war against Ukraine. He called on member states to increase and speed up military aid to Ukraine. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen assured the European Parliament of continued support for Ukraine and pointed to the impact of sanctions on Russia.
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Photo gallery: Russian invasion of Ukraine
“The time that passes costs lives,” Borrell said. According to him, the military support of Ukraine is not at all in conflict with efforts to achieve peace. Europe also needs to be militarily much more capable and stronger than before, he said. “This war will be long,” he added. “War has its price, but freedom also has its price. It would be much worse if Ukraine lost and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin won,” warned the head of EU diplomacy.
“We have stopped being cautious. The proof there are limited military stocks and limited capacity of the arms industry,” he said of the pre-war situation, when Europe did not do everything it could, according to him.
Borrell praised the defense of the Ukrainians against aggression and their progress on the way to a “safe harbor” in the EU. According to him, this journey will be long, just like the war. “We will do everything so that Ukraine emerges victorious from the war,” he said.
However, he pointed out that militarily the situation is very worrying. More than 360,000 Russian soldiers, twice as many as at the beginning of the war, are ready to attack. Ukraine no longer has a numerical advantage.
According to Borrell, if the European Union wants to achieve peace, it must support Ukraine even more than before. “If we want peace, Russia must not win. That would be a huge threat,” he emphasized.
The sanctions that the EU imposed on Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine weakened the Russian economy. But it is clear that she did not collapse. Last year, Russia had high revenues from oil and gas. But that is changing, also thanks to the capping of oil prices. In January, Russia's revenues from oil and gas fell by 46 percent year-on-year. And Russia's debt is fourteen times higher than a year ago.
“We can clearly see that sanctions are a slow-acting poison. But the effect will be felt, and it will be irreversible. Sanctions are bearing fruit,” Borrell said. “Putin has already lost his battle, just as he is losing politically, morally and militarily, even though Ukraine has not yet won,” he added. He appealed to all member states to provide the armored vehicles and tanks they have in their barracks to Ukraine. “This spring and summer will be decisive,” he emphasized.
The head of the EC assured the EP of continued support for Ukraine, pointed to sanctions
The European Union managed not only to resist Russian pressure, but also to free itself from dependence on Russia. Putin's blackmail has failed, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a European Parliament debate. The head of the EU executive assured her determination to continue supporting Ukraine, on which the EU has already spent billions of euros.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin thought that the EU's support for Ukraine would not last long. He was wrong here too. A year after the start of the war, he has already lost this war,” von der Leyen said, according to which EU sanctions are weakening the Russian war machine.
She pointed out that Russia's revenues from the sale of oil and gas to the EU fell by two-thirds year-on-year, the Russian economy is declining after nine packages of EU sanctions, and the EC is about to present a new package worth 11 billion euros (about 260 billion CZK). By capping oil prices, Russia loses approximately 160 million euros per day (about 3.8 billion CZK) and gas prices are lower than before the war. While the EU economy is doing better, the Kremlin is selling gold reserves to close the cracks.
At the same time, Von der Leyen pointed to the need to ensure financial support for Ukraine, the first part of which has already arrived, throughout the year, stable and predictable , every month.
“Putin wanted to kill Ukraine's European dream. Today, Ukraine is moving towards the EU faster and more determinedly than ever before,” the EC president emphasized. “Despite the war, Ukraine continues to join the EU and progress is visible. They strive for membership with all their heart and soul. Let's support these dreams until Ukraine also has its seats in this hall,” she added.
