Michel on the U.S. elections: European unity on Ukraine to be helpful for debates in America
No matter the results of the upcoming presidential elections in the USA, Europe must remain master of its own destiny, but the consolidation of European support for Ukraine will send a good signal to the U.S.
This was stated by European Council President Charles Michel, who spoke at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"We cannot predict what will be the result of the presidential campaign in the U.S. We can do things that will help the Americans consolidate their support for Ukraine. Because if we consolidate it within the EU, it will be helpful for the political debate in the United States. If the U.S. feels that Europe is reliable, it will be an argument to also be credible, " Michel emphasized.
That is why, in his opinion, “it's important also to communicate to our people across the EU what's at stake, what are the challenges. And when we will vote in the European elections, we will vote for a certain idea: rule of law, equality principle, security, and prosperity and the way we will vote will have an influence on what the European Union and the European continent will be like in the years to come.”
Michel emphasized that "the United States is a fundamental ally for the European Union” and that the Union has maintained “perfect” cooperation with Joe Biden and his administration on Ukraine and many other issues.
"The US is a fundamental ally for Euro-Atlantic relations, strategy and security around the world,” he reiterated, noting that many journalists ask the same questions about the upcoming elections in the U.S.. which “is showing something.”
“This is showing that there is only one way. We are working very hard to be more of a masters of our destiny. There are three components. First, economic basis. We need to be very determined to deepen the EU market, to deepen our capacity, to innovate, to prepare the economic future because you are strong from the geopolitical point of view if you are strong from the economic point of view," Charles Michel stressed.
Michel defined energy as another critical element.
"It is an important tool and element for our competitiveness, but also for addressing some common challenges like climate change. And even if we made progress for a winter, there’s this energy missile launched by Russia against the world, including against the EU. Today, as we speak, we have energy prices in the single market three or even four times higher than in the countries where we have partners and competitors for our businesses," he noted.
According to the president of the European Council, security and defense is the third main element.
"It was the missing piece. I think the real birth of the European defense started when we decided following the February 2022 invasion to deliver weapons to Ukraine because NATO at the time was not in the position to deliver weapons they didn’t want to start World War 3. And acted very quickly? Who gave the signal to the Ukrainian people and authorities that we were ready to change our paradigm? One month before that moment, it would have been impossible to imagine the decision made to provide lethal equipment for a certain country, but we made it in a few hours."
As reported, President of the European Council Charles Michel arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Tuesday.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Moldovan President Maia Sandu also visited Kyiv that day.
Ukraine marked the Day of Dignity and Freedom on November 21. It was established by the Presidential Decree dated November 13, 2014 in honor of the two significant events in recent Ukrainian history – the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity of 2013.