Check against delivery! 

Well, here we are again back to Brussels after a very complicated summer.

There are a lot of things happening, and one of the most important things is the continuing attack of Russia against the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. 

That is why, today at the first informal Foreign Affairs Council meeting after the summer break – well, there has not been really a break, but after the summer – we have the pleasure to receive at the informal Foreign Affairs Council in person, not by VTC, Minister [for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro] Kuleba. 

Tomorrow, we will have the Defence Minister [of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov] - both things are linked - but it is important to have you with us here, dear Dmytro. 

It is important because first, the Ukrainians have shown a lot of strategic audacity, launching attacks inside the Russian territory. This operation in Kursk has dealt a blow to Putin’s narrative about this war.

It is an important strategic news, but at the same time Russia continues attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure.

On Monday, this Monday 26 August, Russia launched an air attack with more than 300 missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities, hitting for critical energy infrastructure. It is clear that Russia wants to destroy completely the electricity system of Ukraine in order to put Ukraine into the dark and cold for the next winter.

Many hospitals and health centres have been bombed. Russia wants to bomb a European country into full capitulation. Hence, air defence systems were critical before the summer, they are still much more critical today. This will be the first point of a very busy informal Foreign Affairs Council. 

And also, I am sure you will explain us why we need to lift restrictions on the use of weaponry against Russia’s military targets, in accordance with international law. During the summer, I have issued statements supporting this decision.

The weaponry that we are providing to Ukraine has to have full use, and the restrictions have to be lifted in order for the Ukrainians to be able to target the places [from] where Russia is bombing them. Otherwise, the weaponry is useless. 

Ukraine is asking for this. And today, having Minister Kuleba with us will be an important moment in order to make everybody understand why. 

Some data: since the start of the war, in February 2022, Russia has fired against Ukraine more than 14,000 drones, almost 10,000 missiles – it was 9,500 last week, today it must be already about 10,000, and many more glided bombs – you know, this kind of bombs that have been launched at high altitude, at high speed and they glide onto the objective. Many of them are being launched from Russia. 

The good news – we discussed about it – is that we have started using the revenues from windfall profits from frozen Russian assets. The windfall profits from these frozen assets have already been sent to Ukraine and sent to the Member States who will provide with this money more military equipment to Ukraine. 

The important thing [is] that for the first time, we are financing directly the Ukrainian industry. We are providing financing for the Ukrainians to make their own industrial capacity work. €1.4 billion have already been sent. 

After [the] military comes diplomacy. We have to be more proactive also in this field. We will exchange on our global outreach and hear about Ukraine President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s Peace Plan. So, the first item of our very busy meeting today will be about Ukraine, military support, diplomatic support, lifting restrictions and increasing our support to these brave people who have surprised the world by launching an audacious attack against Russia, showing that Putin’s narrative was completely false. It is our great pleasure to have Dmytro with us today.

Q&A 

Q: This meeting was supposed to be held in Budapest. Can you explain why it was a good decision to move it to Brussels? And will you also start today a discussion on sanctions against members of the Israeli government?

I will talk about that later. Let’s concentrate now on the issue of Ukraine which is the most important part of our meeting. Here in Brussels or in Budapest - it does not matter. The important thing is not where but what. 

Q: What can you do to speed up the approval of the €50 billion (inaudible) aid? Will the European Union decide to go on its own if the United States continues to be a bit reluctant?

We will do from our side everything we can. We are not being mimetic, doing what the United States is doing – or not doing what the United States is not doing. We do from our side everything we can, and we will continue doing that whatever the United States decides to do. It is very important to stress the fact that the European Union is engaged with Ukraine. 

And today I want to stress that, I announce that for the first time, we have changed the financial logic of our support. Until now, the European Peace Facility was reimbursing the money to the Member States that provided support to Ukraine. Now, we give money directly to Ukraine and this money comes from the Russian frozen assets. The Russian frozen assets revenues are going directly to the Ukrainian government in order to finance the production with their own industry. And we pay directly to Member States to provide to Ukraine. It is reversed - not first provide, and after be reimbursed, but providing directly in order to boost the capacity of Ukraine. This is an important new fact. 

I understand the concerns of Minister Kuleba about the delay. It is very easy to promise, it is a little bit more difficult to deliver. In Spain, we say: “one thing is to preach, and another is to give wheat”. I will push Member States to fulfil their commitments, announced commitments in the field of air defence. And we will continue supporting Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, because we know that the purpose of Russia is to annihilate the electricity capacity.

So, today, we will discuss about lifting the restrictions to use the weaponry that we are providing. We will discuss about how the money goes directly to Ukraine – in fact, it is already going. And we will try to increase our support because [Minister] Kuleba is right: it is clear that Ukrainian forces, well equipped, can change the course of the war. Not only defending themselves but pushing back the invasion. And Europeans will continue doing that. 

I know there are some reluctances from some Member States, we still have €6 billion frozen in my current account [that] I cannot use in order to reimburse the support given to Ukraine by some Member States. I will look for some way to find a solution to solve this problem with this veto from one Member State because it is not acceptable. 

Q: (Simultaneous questions– inaudible)

I fully understand the concerns that Minister Kuleba has expressed, and this is the moment to discuss frankly with the ministers where we are in our support, which commitments have not been fulfilled and to speed up all of them. 

Apart from Ukraine, we will discuss many other things. 

The situation in Venezuela is critical. That is why, I invited Edmundo [González Urrutia] - the candidate that has presented results that shows that [Nicolás] Maduro has not won this election - to address the Ministers. At the same time, the repression continues in Venezuela. People from the teams of the opposition have been arrested and disappearing. We are very much worried by the situation of the leaders of the opposition. So, the call with Edmundo [González Urrutia] will be very important for the Ministers to take stock of the situation in Venezuela. And I hope that at the end of the day, the Ministers will decide what to say about the results of this election. I said before the meeting that I believe that clearly Maduro cannot be recognised as a legitimate winner of this presidential election, but let’s see what the Ministers have to say. 

Also, we will receive the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid [Kaag]. She will explain the situation of even the United Nations, which are under strong pressure of the Israeli government, preventing all the United Nations organisations to do their work. I do not have to tell you which is the situation in Gaza. Every day is more terrible than the previous day. The conversation for a ceasefire has been sliding from one day to another, without getting any result. And in the meantime, the bombing continues, and the number of civilian casualties [is] increasing. At the same time, it is still more worrisome the call from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel [Israel Katz] to displace people from the West Bank, doing more or less the same thing that they did with the people in Gaza. This is completely unacceptable, and I hope that the Ministers will raise their voice against the situation in Gaza, in the West Bank, the treatment of the United Nations and the way this war is being performed in accordance or, in violation of the humanitarian law.

This will be discussed once again by the Ministers, and I hope that we will take stock of this dramatic situation.

[There are] many other things on the agenda, but these three are the most important: [Minister] Kuleba will be with us to talk about Ukraine, Sigrid [Kaag] will talk about the situation in the Middle East, and Edmundo [González Urrutia], the leader and the candidate of the opposition in the Venezuelan election will be with us by VTC. 

And Türkiye. Don’t worry, don’t forget Türkiye. It is the first time that the Turkish Minister [for Foreign Affairs] is being invited to an [informal] ministerial. Not the first time but the first time since a lot of time. [It has been many years since we have had] with us the Foreign Minister of Türkiye [Hakan Fidan]. It is important for Türkiye to understand the role of the European Union with respect to the position of a Member State, Cyprus, who has a difficult relationship with Türkiye. But we believe that the best way of trying to solve the situation is by dialogue, and I thank everybody that allowed to make this decision and invite the Turkish minister. He will have bilaterals with some of the ministers, and I hope this conversation will be important, positive, to deal with the issues that we have – the European Union and some Member States – with respect to Türkiye. This is a good initiative. Everything can be solved by dialogue and good will, but in order to have a dialogue, people have to have the opportunity to discuss. And I think it is very good news that the Turkish minister could join us during this meeting. 

Q: Mr Borrell, will Ministers take sanctions against Israeli Ministers?

As you know, this is not an executive meeting, no decision will be taken - [they] cannot be taken, because it is an informal meeting. But certainly, I initiated the procedure to ask the Member States – if they want, if they consider it appropriate, to include in our list of sanctions some Israeli Ministers that have been launching some hate messages. Unacceptable hate messages, against the Palestinians and proposing things that go clearly against international law, and it is an incitation to commit war crimes. And I think the European Union should have no taboos to use our toolbox in order to make humanitarian law [be] respected. But it is not my decision. I only have the capacity of proposing; Member States will decide.

Q: Why are we here in Brussels and not Budapest? It is not so important?

Because I decided so. 

Q: What are you hoping from this?

It is the President of the Council who decides when and where the Council takes place. I thought it was much more appropriate to do that in Brussels because some of the positions expressed by the Hungarian government go directly against the Common Foreign [and Security] Policy. It was much better to do that at home.

Q: So, the Hungarian Foreign Minister [Péter Szijjártó] will be here?

I suppose. 

• Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-260129