European Union

EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell arrives in Kyiv

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EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell arrives in Kyiv
Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 6, 2024. (Josep Borrell/X)

Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 6, he announced in a statement on social media.

His arrival signals the continued commitment of the European bloc to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. The EU's backing is ever more crucial now as $60 billion from the U.S. remains stuck in Congress due to political infighting.

"Here to discuss with our Ukrainian friends the EU's unwavering support to Ukraine - on military side, on the financial side with the new Ukraine facility, as well as on the EU reform path," Borrell said.

Borrell is accompanied by his advisor, Zaki Laidi, who announced his arrival on social media earlier on Feb. 6. This is Borrell's fourth visit to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war.

After visiting Poland, Borrell confirmed on Feb. 5 that he is heading to Ukraine next, repeating calls for more assistance for the embattled country.

Although approving the 50 billion euro ($54 billion) in economic assistance for Ukraine, the EU will most likely fail on its promise to deliver 1 million artillery shells by March.

There is also the ongoing debate on reforming the bloc's Ukraine defense funding mechanism, which has been largely depleted.

FT: German hesitation over EU defense fund reforms could delay Ukraine aid
Countries like France and Germany with existing military-industrial capacity would like to see a shift away from the reimbursement model to the EU directly funding arms contracts and are pushing for such a transition to occur quickly.
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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