Josep “We want to support the Russian people. We don’t want to fight with them (Russian people) but want to defend Ukraine first and our way of living after in front of Putin’s aggression and Putin’s regime’s aggression. “
The above words have a significant impact as Josep clearly articulates the difference between Putin, Putin’s regime, and the Russian people to point out the origins of the war with Ukraine. The EU’s foreign affairs and security chief Josep Borrell spoke about the war in Ukraine. The courageous President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Ukraine, and its people make a heroic fight against the Russian forces. As missiles drop on Ukrainian cities, the world watches in horror, with the Russian assault getting more intensive and brutal. The Russian attack has changed the paradigm and the fabric of the European Union; the EU has taken a historic decision to supply arms to Ukraine to fight the Russian army. EU implemented a historical and unprecedented package to help the Ukrainian military defend its territorial sovereignty. More than 5,00,000 refugees have fled Ukraine, with Poland being the key destination for them. Public outrage poured globally, including protests across cities in Russia. Josep pointed out a key statistic, the defense budget of NATO European members is four times that of the defense budget of Russia, making note that the defense budget must be more effective. Measures will be taken to weed out black money that might help finance the Russian war, with Switzerland joining the EU initiative, a much-welcomed stance. On request of Ukraine, the EU has mobilized a satellite center in Madrid for Geo-Spatial help.
“We have no choice but to stand together as the European Union in support of Ukraine, keeping in mind we are not only supporting Ukrainian people but our security and stability of the world.” Josep
Many countries in the world have blocked selected Russian banks from the SWIFT International Payment system, drastically hitting the ability of the Russian economy to work effectively. The rouble fell substantially against the United States dollar as sanctions against Russia took a toll. Trade as an enabler for peace has failed in the case of Russia. In the future, relations with Russia will no longer be determined by the trade between the EU and Russia. Finally, the EU is mindful of its member countries’ dependence on Russian Oil and Gas; the proceeds used to fund the military aggression. However, why did the West act late? Despite repeated pleas to arm itself to defend against attack from Russia, it’s only after a tragic humanitarian crisis unfolded, including numerous civilian deaths, that help finally came for Ukraine. The EU has finally united with the message — if they do not act now, the future price might be too great and too late for humanity. The read signifies the ongoing humanitarian crisis in mind due to the war on Ukraine.