In his last interview before leaving office, Josep Borrell warns that the war in Ukraine has “reached breaking point” and urges EU countries to “do more and faster” to support Kyiv.
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As his five-year term as European Union foreign policy chief draws to a close, Josep Borrell launches a final warning about the danger Russia poses to the entire Union and calls on Member States to increase their military assistance to Kyiv.
“We have reached the breaking point. Now is the moment when member states must decide: we get involved and we support Ukraine”said Josep Borrell in an interview with a group of media, including Euronews, two days before the end of his mandate.
“The Russians are insisting a lot, they are not waiting for negotiations. Russia continues to push slowly but continuously”he continued. “The situation on the front line is not good but the Ukrainians are resisting”.
Josep Borrell's comments come at a critical moment in the war, when Russian troops make substantial territorial gains in the east of the country and intensify their attacks on the energy system and Ukraine's civil infrastructure.
Is Russia really isolated internationally?
At the same time, around 11,000 North Korean troops joined the battle in the Kursk regionwhich Kyiv partially occupies and which it hopes to use as leverage in future talks.
“Russian superiority continues. North Korea provided them much more than we could provide the Ukrainians”said the EU's outgoing top diplomat, disputing the idea that Moscow would be isolated on the international stage.
“I should admit that Russia is politically isolated? Certainly not. How many people went to Kazan?”he asked, referring to the BRICS summit in October, during which Vladimir Putin hosted several international leaders such as the Chinese Xi Jinping, the Indian Narendra Modi, the South African Cyril Ramaphose and, controversiallyUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, among other guests.
“I cannot honestly say that Russia is isolated within the international community”.
Josep Borrell, one of Kyiv's strongest supporters in the European Union, has spent much of his tenure negotiating sanctions with governments aimed at weakening the Kremlin's war machine and propping up the military. Ukrainian.
Although its efforts made it possible to maintain the flow of aid, the overall results did not live up to expectations: the EU this month reached the target of supplying Ukraine with one million munitions, initially planned for the end of March. At the same time, a collective assistance fund of 6.6 billion euros is still I blocked the Hongrie ferme veto.
“This pace is completely insufficient”regrets Josep Borrell. “We need to accelerate and do more and faster. We have 1 million rounds of ammunition. That's good, but Russia fires 800,000 rounds per month. The numbers are important”.
No sense of urgency
The brutal war raging on its doorstep has forced the EU to reinvent its defense policy, long put on the back burner in a context of peace. Defense spending increased dramatically to €326 billion in 2024an unprecedented rate of 1.9% of the Union's GDP, according to the latest report of the European Defense Agency.
However, it is increasingly clear that much remains to be done in the face of Russian aggression. One of the ideas that caught on and was recently approved by Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland is the issuance of common debt, or Eurobonds, to boost the Union's defense industry.
Although he is not opposed to it in principle, Josep Borrell believes that this project is not suitable to respond to the invasion, because it would only produce results in the relatively distant future.
“There is something that very often escapes us in Europe, it is the temporal dimension of things”said the EU's top diplomat. “If we have to wait to issue debt to raise the money and expand our industrial capacity, it’s too late.”
“If we are to replace America's military capacity, it is not by issuing bonds, raising money, investing and producing. It is for the next war. For this war, we must mobilize what we have because time matters..
When European leaders decided during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to create a recovery fund of 750 billion euros backed by common debt, it took several months for Brussels to obtain the legal agreement of the 27 capitals and put the plan in place. By the time payments began, most countries were already COVID-free and enjoying a healthy economic recovery.
“If Russia breaks the front next spring, it will not wait for you to issue bonds”asserts Joseph Borrell. “How long does it take to issue bonds? I don't know, but past experience shows it's quite slow”.
“We spend too much time designing strategies for the day after tomorrow, when the problem is today and is immediate. We have no sense of urgency”.
Filling the void left by Washington
The upcoming return of Donald Trump to the White House could well change the situation in Europe.
The American billionaire promised to thoroughly review aid to Ukraine and reach an agreement to end the war “within 24 hours”without providing precise details. If the United States withdraws from the Western common front, Europe will be left essentially alone in supporting Ukraine.
“Are we able to supply weapons to Ukraine to replace the American commitment? Can you realistically say yes?” questions Josep Borrell.
To avoid a last-minute rush to fill the void left by Washington, Josep Borrell urges member states to replenish their military stocks, donate as much as possible now and lift all restrictions on the use of weapons so that Ukraine can strike targets deep within Russian territory.
US President Joe Biden has already lifted restrictionsbut German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains categorically opposed to the delivery of long-range Taurus missiles.
“We now need to resupply, because these stocks are exhausted. Ukraine survived thanks to the stocks of weapons the countries of the former Soviet Union had, which the Ukrainians knew how to use”explains Josep Borrell.
“Until the last minute of my mandate, I will continue to recommend to Member States what I have been saying for months: do more and faster”.
Obtaining the support of European citizens
The head of diplomacy, however, admitted that support for Kyiv required not only the approval of national leaders, but also the support of European citizens, who might object to their tax money being sent to a third countries. Communication is essential for help people understand the threat that Europe also faces.
“To continue supporting Ukraine as much as necessary, that is, much more than so far, members must win the battle of domestic politics, because we live in democratic countries. And governments have need the support of the population to continue spending money on Ukraine”he says.
“Someone has to explain to the public what is at stake. And I think we're not doing enough. And we're trying to hide the costs. Don't hide the costs, be honest with people.”he concludes.
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