Titanium100
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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will visit Ukraine's frontline this week in a show of support for Kiev in the face of Moscow's military buildup on its border, Brussels said Monday. Tensions have soared in recent months as the West has warned that Moscow could be planning a full-scale invasion of its neighbour after massing some 100,000 troops at the frontier.
High-ranking officials from the United States and Russia are set to hold two days of talks in Geneva on the crisis starting Sunday after the Kremlin issued a raft of demands to Washington. Borrell — who will meet Ukrainian officials in Kiev during his visit from Tuesday to Thursday — has insisted that "any discussion about European security must happen in coordination with and participation of EU."
Brussels fears it is being sidelined as the two nuclear powers discuss the balance of power in Europe in talks reminiscent of the Cold War era.
Borrell will visit the "contact line" where Ukraine's armed forces face off against Russia-backed separatists.
Russia seized the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and is accused of fomenting a bloody conflict in the east of the country that has killed over 13,000.
Moscow insists that U.S.-led military alliance NATO must rule out granting membership for ex-Soviet Ukraine and roll back its forces near Russia's border.
The West has rejected what it calls a bid by Moscow to dictate the the future of independent allies and threatened Moscow with "severe costs" if it launches a fresh incursion of Ukraine.
www.themoscowtimes.com
Borrell to reiterate EU support to Kyiv during visit to eastern Ukraine as US-Russia talks near
By Euronews • Updated: 04/01/2022 - 07:49
The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell will on Tuesday start a visit to Ukraine as tensions with Russia over its military build-up near the border remain high.
The visit will see Borrell first travel to east Ukraine and the line of contact where clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continue to take place, nearly seven years after the conflict first erupted.
He will be accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba before travelling to capital Kyiv to meet the country's authorities.
"His first foreign trip of this year underscores EU's strong support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity at a time when the country is confronted with Russian military build-up and hybrid actions," a statement from the EU Commission released on Monday read.
The visit comes less than a week before US and Russian officials meet in Geneva with the tensions along the border high on the agenda. NATO and Russia talks are also scheduled to take place on January 10.
About 100,000 Russian troops and military equipment are amassed along the border with US intelligence warning last month that Moscow may be preparing an invasion.
The Kremlin has denied this but demanded that a Ukrainian membership of NATO be ruled out and that the alliance removes any offensive weaponry from countries in the region.
US President Joe Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a telephone conversation on Sunday that "the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine."
Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, meanwhile discussed the issue on Monday with foreign ministers from the Bucharest Nine — Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers discussed Russia's destabilising military buildup along Ukraine;s border; the need for a united, ready, and resolute NATO stance for the collective defense of Allies; and transatlantic cooperation on issues of concern," a readout of the call stated.
www.euronews.com
High-ranking officials from the United States and Russia are set to hold two days of talks in Geneva on the crisis starting Sunday after the Kremlin issued a raft of demands to Washington. Borrell — who will meet Ukrainian officials in Kiev during his visit from Tuesday to Thursday — has insisted that "any discussion about European security must happen in coordination with and participation of EU."
Brussels fears it is being sidelined as the two nuclear powers discuss the balance of power in Europe in talks reminiscent of the Cold War era.
Borrell will visit the "contact line" where Ukraine's armed forces face off against Russia-backed separatists.
Russia seized the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and is accused of fomenting a bloody conflict in the east of the country that has killed over 13,000.
Moscow insists that U.S.-led military alliance NATO must rule out granting membership for ex-Soviet Ukraine and roll back its forces near Russia's border.
The West has rejected what it calls a bid by Moscow to dictate the the future of independent allies and threatened Moscow with "severe costs" if it launches a fresh incursion of Ukraine.
EU's Borrell to Visit Ukraine Frontline Amid Russia Tensions - The Moscow Times
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will visit Ukraine's frontline this week in a show of support for Kiev in the face of Moscow's military buildup on its border, Brussels said Monday.
Borrell to reiterate EU support to Kyiv during visit to eastern Ukraine as US-Russia talks near
By Euronews • Updated: 04/01/2022 - 07:49
The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell will on Tuesday start a visit to Ukraine as tensions with Russia over its military build-up near the border remain high.
The visit will see Borrell first travel to east Ukraine and the line of contact where clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continue to take place, nearly seven years after the conflict first erupted.
He will be accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba before travelling to capital Kyiv to meet the country's authorities.
"His first foreign trip of this year underscores EU's strong support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity at a time when the country is confronted with Russian military build-up and hybrid actions," a statement from the EU Commission released on Monday read.
The visit comes less than a week before US and Russian officials meet in Geneva with the tensions along the border high on the agenda. NATO and Russia talks are also scheduled to take place on January 10.
About 100,000 Russian troops and military equipment are amassed along the border with US intelligence warning last month that Moscow may be preparing an invasion.
The Kremlin has denied this but demanded that a Ukrainian membership of NATO be ruled out and that the alliance removes any offensive weaponry from countries in the region.
US President Joe Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a telephone conversation on Sunday that "the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine."
Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, meanwhile discussed the issue on Monday with foreign ministers from the Bucharest Nine — Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers discussed Russia's destabilising military buildup along Ukraine;s border; the need for a united, ready, and resolute NATO stance for the collective defense of Allies; and transatlantic cooperation on issues of concern," a readout of the call stated.
Borrell to stress EU support to Kyiv during visit to eastern Ukraine
Borrell's visit comes less than a week before talks in Geneva between Washington and Moscow.
www.euronews.com
