EU foreign ministers held their first summit in Kyiv

On October 2, the first-ever informal meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) was held in Kyiv. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell expressed confidence that the future of Ukraine lies in the EU. “We are convening a historic meeting of EU foreign ministers here in Ukraine, a candidate country and future EU member. We are here to express our solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people,” he wrote on X (Twitter).

But at the final press conference, Borrell said that at the last summit in Kiev, the ministers were unable to agree on the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 5 billion euros for the next year, while he hopes that this will be done before the end of 2023. We are talking about implementation his proposal, which was first made at the August summit in Toledo, Spain, to create a special fund for military assistance to Ukraine for 2024–2027, where it would be allocated up to 5 billion euros annually (20 billion euros in total).

In Kyiv, the parties discussed cooperation on security issues, the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and the “peace formula” put forward by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Brussels and Kyiv, according to the chief European diplomat, intend to strengthen cooperation in the cyber sphere and the fight against hybrid threats, such as disinformation. Borrell also expressed the opinion that “the strongest security commitment we can provide to Ukraine is EU membership <...> Ukraine is now a candidate and continues to move forward.”

Zelensky, speaking at the meeting, complained that the pause on sanctions against Russia had dragged on (the latest package at the moment, the 11th, was adopted in June). “We need more joint work against any forms and schemes of Russia’s circumvention of sanctions,” he noted.

The head of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Hanke Bruins Slot, previously assured X that support for Ukraine remains one of the main priorities for the Netherlands until “justice prevails.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock, in turn, said in Kyiv that the EU “will soon spread from Lisbon to Lugansk.” She called for continued support for Ukraine and advocated for the provision of a “winter protective umbrella.”

The topic of support for Ukraine from its key allies has acquired particular resonance in recent days due to disagreements in the American Congress. Borrell noted that the EU “deeply and fundamentally” regrets that Congress yesterday passed a spending bill without additional funding for Ukraine.

“The EU will ask the US to continue funding Ukraine,” the EU foreign policy office says on its website. At the same time, Borrell pointed out that Brussels’ support does not depend on internal American situations. Speaking about Brussels’ already announced contribution to supporting Ukraine from 2022, Borrell named a figure of 85 billion euros, of which 25 billion were for military needs.

On October 1, US President Joe Biden approved a short-term draft US budget for 45 days, which included only expenses to finance the government (which was necessary to avoid a shutdown) and support for victims of natural disasters. This, however, does not mean the end of US assistance to Ukraine.

According to the Pentagon, as of September 2023, the volume of military assistance provided to Kiev amounted to $43.7 billion. According to August data from The Washington Post, Washington has sent Ukraine a total of $66.2 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the Russian military operation.

The EU currently provides very large support to Ukraine and does not have the opportunity to significantly increase it, both due to limited resources and the lack of such a desire, says Artem Sokolov, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations of MGIMO. It is likely that various supply difficulties on the part of the United States can be compensated by the Europeans through some symbolic gestures that can be well presented in the media space, but not with a real increase in financial or military support, he is sure.

At the same time, approximately the current level of military support for Kyiv from Europe will be maintained, despite difficult discussions within the alliance, the expert concludes. This status quo will be maintained until the general conditions surrounding the Ukrainian conflict change, Sokolov believes.

The summit in Kiev initially had only a symbolic character, which was important against the backdrop of a slightly changed atmosphere in American politics and signs of fatigue from supporting Ukraine in Europe, says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Russia in Global Affairs,” political scientist. The fact that practically nothing was achieved at the forum only makes the fact of its location even more significant, he adds.