At the State of the Union 2023 conference in Florence, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell declared that the only viable peace plan for Ukraine is the one proposed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The EU does not take the Chinese initiative seriously, as it is merely a set of wishful considerations without any substance.
Borrell also criticized China for supporting Russia, but pointed out that China is not currently supplying Russia with weapons. He acknowledged that China has a role to play in resolving the conflict and commended President Xi Jinping’s recent telephone call with Zelensky.
However, Borrell emphasized that the EU had to continue its support for Ukraine’s military efforts, as it is not the moment for diplomatic conversations about peace but to support Ukraine militarily in the war. The EU defense chief confessed that he never thought he would spend so much time thinking about how many shots or artillery the Europeans could provide to the Ukrainians.
Borrell’s remarks underscore the EU’s stance that diplomatic negotiations for achieving peace in Ukraine would not make sense at the moment. The EU believes that the only way to achieve peace is for the Russians to accept Zelensky’s proposal and start talking seriously about a ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict.
