Europe must be ready to help Ukraine for a long time - Borrell

Europe must be ready to help Ukraine in this war of attrition, even for a long time.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said this at a meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Unfortunately, this is a war of attrition. Putin will continue it to capture as much of Ukraine as he can. So it won't end quickly. Putin will try to destroy the freedom of the Ukrainian people and probably go further. At least that's what Russian propagandists and some Russian leaders are saying all the time," Borrell said.

He noted that the coming weeks would be difficult and probably more dangerous not only for Ukraine but for Europe. According to Borrell, Europeans should do more to support Ukraine, because for Europe this is a matter of strategic responsibility. There is not and cannot be "business as usual" in Europe since this war began.

"We have to think deeper, prepare ourselves for a war that will require our efforts, our commitments, our actions. We should support Ukraine, but not only with words, and not only tomorrow and probably not only during the next year. Our commitment to support Ukraine, which is fighting for our values and its security, will require us to take unprecedented actions and be more firm. Today's topic [handling of "frozen" Russian assets] is an example of this," Borrell said.