Borrell to visit Kyiv after Warsaw trip

He stated this in Warsaw during a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Borrell said he decided to take a stop in Warsaw on his way to Ukraine to consult “with our Polish friends” to better understand the situation of Ukraine and how the EU should proceed with further support," Borrell said.

He noted that during meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Poland, he had the opportunity to discuss all forms of assistance that the EU provides to Ukraine, including military, financial, reconstruction-related, restrictive measures against Russia and international solidarity, use of frozen Russian assets, etc.

"Allow me to recognize that Poland has demonstrated since the beginning (of the full-scale invasion - ed.) a firm support for Ukraine, from day one. Hosting refugees, providing substantial military assistance, hosting the headquarters of a training mission (EUMAM Ukraine) that will be training 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers, offering a logistic hub for military supplies provided by all partners. That’s a lot of effort that the Polish government and Polish society have been doing," said the EU high representative.

He noted that the member states of the European Union agreed not only that they should support Ukraine for as long as it will be necessary, but also at whatever cost.

"It is not just a matter of time. It’s a matter of quantity and quality of supplies. And certainly, we have to do more and quicker because Ukraine has to prevail. Ukraine is fighting, but it is also fighting for European security," Borrell stressed.

He noted that the EU should think about long-term support for Ukraine. It is clear that, first of all, this concerns actions that will help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion. But after that, according to Borrell, it is necessary to think about how to achieve peace and how to support the process of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

"I am going to Ukraine to discuss the ongoing EU security commitments. There are a lot of consultations with Ukraine so far," said the high representative of the EU.

He separately emphasized that the EU should continue supplying ammunition to Ukraine. Borrell expects to reach a final agreement on the assistance fund for Ukraine, within the framework of the European Peace Facility, by the beginning of March. According to Borrell, this will ensure greater predictability and stability of further assistance for Ukraine, with joint financing from the entire European Union.

As reported earlier, during the European Council on February 1, as well as during informal meetings of European ministers on defense and foreign affairs last week, the EU countries considered the proposal of the EU high representative to create a special fund for military assistance to Ukraine within the framework of the intergovernmental European Peace Facility, in the amount of EUR 20 billion for the next four years (2024-2027), or EUR 5 billion per year.

Last month, EU High Representative Josep Borrell, during a press conference following the Gymnich meeting of EU foreign ministers, announced a visit to Ukraine in early February to confirm the continuation of military and security support from the EU.