Borrell arrives in Kiev to refocus EU support for Ukraine

European Union foreign policy chief (BE), Josep Borrell, has arrived in Kiev on Saturday for a warned visit, where he will re-enlist European support for Ukraine as Russia continues its attacks on the country.

“The EU support for Ukraine has been my personal priority during my mandate and will remain at the helm of the EU agenda”, Borrell wrote on X.

He said this several hours after the Russian Army carried out another attack on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, damaging buildings and residential homes in Odessa.

Borrell is said to be the EU's top official to visit Ukraine since Donald Trump won the US presidential election on November 5th.

“The message is clear: Europeans will continue to support Ukraine”, Borrell told an AFP journalist accompanying him.

“We have supported Ukraine from the start and on this last visit to Ukraine conveys the same message: We will support you as much as we can, said Borrell, who is expected to leave the post next month.

Trump's election victory has raised concerns in Kiev. Trump had said during the campaign that he could quickly choose the full invasion of Ukraine from Russia, even before it was inaugurated on January 20th. Trump has suggested that Kiev must agree to give some Moscow territories in exchange for peace, a condition Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected.

“No one knows exactly what the new administration will do for”, Borrell said of AFP, stressing that Joe Biden still has two months remaining in office as president of the US.

However, we Europeans should use this opportunity to build a stronger and united Europe, and one of the manifestations of being united and capable of acting is our role in supporting Ukraine”, he stressed.

Borrell said it is up to EU countries to decide “when and how to increase” their support, if necessary. However, he added, at a meeting of EU leaders in Budapest on November 8th, “most of the member states were insisting on the same line, [to] continue supporting Ukraine”.

Ukrainian troops are crushed until Russian invading forces make gradual advances east. Meanwhile, Russia's attacks on civil infrastructure, fearing and rockets, are continuing.

Russian Drons attacked Ukraine's port city of Odessa at night, killing one person and wounding 13 others, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Saturday.

Several residential buildings, houses, commercial buildings and dozens of private cars were damaged by this frightened Russian attack, which was the second in the last two days in Odessa, Kipper said. / REL