The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, emphasized the importance of the European Union fulfilling its military responsibilities amid the war in Ukraine. Borrell stressed that peace in Ukraine can only be achieved through a fair and sustainable agreement, not through negotiations that exclude Ukraine and the EU.
During a debate in the European Parliament about the implications of Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections, Borrell proposed that the EU use Russia's frozen funds to support Ukraine both economically and militarily in case the Trump administration withdraws its aid to the Ukrainian country. Although the EU is already allocating resources to support Ukraine, U.S. military aid surpasses that of the EU by 25%.
If the U.S. withdraws its support for Ukraine, the EU would be forced to rethink how to use the frozen Russian funds, raising significant financial and industrial issues. Despite the EU already using the benefits of these funds to finance Ukraine and support international agreements, such as the $50 billion loan from the G7, it would be insufficient in a scenario of withdrawing U.S. aid.
Borrell pointed out that the European Union, since the Maastricht Treaty, has shown ambition to develop a common security and defense policy, in addition to promoting economic cooperation. In this context, he emphasized the importance of strengthening European security and highlighted the need for the EU to guarantee its capacity to act in situations involving the security and defense of its members.
