Kyiv/RZESZOW (dpa-AFX) – In view of the expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is urging the member states of the European Union to increase their arms deliveries. “Put the focus on arms supplies,” he urged journalists on Saturday after his visit to Kyiv on his return trip to Poland. “Sanctions are important, but sanctions will not solve the problem of the battle in Donbass.” It is clear: “The war will be decided in the battle for Donbass.”
The term Donbass, actually an abbreviation for the eastern Ukrainian Donets coal basin, is sometimes used synonymously for the two Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are claimed by pro-Russian separatists.
Borrell was in Kyiv on Friday with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to speak to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other government officials. The two also visited the suburb of Bucha, where investigations are ongoing into massive war crimes against the civilian population for which the Russian armed forces are being held responsible.
This Monday, the EU foreign ministers will discuss support for Ukraine. This will also involve further restrictions on energy imports from Russia. “Everyone asks me when you’re going to stop the gas. As far as the war is concerned, that’s not the key question,” Borrell stressed. “Even if you stop buying gas tomorrow, Russia will continue to fight.” Russia will probably still have enough money reserves to continue the war for a while. The absolute key question is therefore that of arms deliveries: “When and how and what will be delivered.”/mfi/DP/stk