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A top official within the European Union has vowed to maintain “unwavering” support for Ukraine amid uncertainties surrounding future US involvement following Donald Trump’s election win.
What’s the deal: While visiting Ukraine, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression would continue despite President-elect Trump’s victory. While speaking to reporters, Borrel noted that the EU has already provided $130 billion in military and financial aid and trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers, with an aim to increase this number to 75,000 by the end of winter.
He said, “The clear purpose of this visit is to express European Union support to Ukraine – this support remains unwavering; this support is absolutely needed for you to continue defending yourself against Russia’s aggression. We have to do more and faster, more military support, more training capacities, more money, faster supplies, and also the permission to strike the enemy on its military targets on its territory.”
Zelensky sounds off: In addition to Borrell, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also told EU leaders at a meeting in Hungary that it would be “unacceptable” for Ukraine to make concessions to Putin.
He said, “There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions … It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and unacceptable for all Europe. We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse.”
This all comes as President-Elect Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to propose a peace plan to end the Ukraine-Russia war. Trump’s proposed plan for includes
• Demilitarized Zone: The plan would create an 800-mile demilitarized zone along the current front line between Ukraine and Russian-held territories.
• European Responsibility: Under Trump’s plan, the responsibility for financing, manning, and maintaining this demilitarized zone would fall solely on European allies like the UK, Germany, and France. The US would not deploy any troops or finance the security initiative.
• NATO Membership Block for Ukraine: Ukraine would be required to refrain from joining NATO for at least 20 years. This long-term exclusion is intended to address Russia’s concerns over NATO’s eastward expansion, which Moscow has cited as a key security issue.
• Continued US Arms Support: The US would continue supplying Ukraine with weapons to help deter any resurgence of Russian aggression. This support would strengthen Ukraine’s defensive capabilities while limiting US involvement on the ground.