EU Main Diplomat Wants Additional Air Defense For Ukraine And Revocation Of Western Weapons Restrictions

Josep Borrell. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wants air defense assistance for Ukraine to be added, while lifting restrictions on Western weapons use.

Speaking at an informal meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, he welcomed the Ukrainian military offensive to Kursk's territory which he described as "strategic courage".

"Ukraine has shown a lot of strategic courage by launching attacks on Russian territory. This is important strategic news," Borrell said, launching TASS August 29.

Furthermore, Borrell accused Russia of retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which, he said, would "place Ukraine in darkness and cold."

"The air defense system is very important before the summer. The system is still much more important at this time. This will be the first point of the very busy Foreign Affairs Council," he said.

At the same time, Borrell acknowledged that it would be difficult for EU countries to fulfill their promise to supply air defense systems to Kiev without delay.

"It's very easy to promise, but it's a little more difficult to fulfill it. We will encourage member states to fulfill the commitments announced in the field of air defense," Borrell said.

On that occasion, he also called for full use of Western weapons against Russia and to lift all relevant restrictions. Otherwise, he said, "this armament is useless."

Borrell stressed that there is a need to lift "restrictions on the use of weapons against Russia's military targets."

The meeting was moved by Borrell from Budapest to Brussels to punish Hungary for Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Russia and China in early July with a "uncoordinated" peace initiative with the European Commission.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Brussels has not officially acknowledged a single Ukrainian attack, either on urban buildings or the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as an attack on civilian facilities.