The high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrellsaid this Friday that the Russian invasion to Ukraine represents a “existential threat” for the entire continent by stating that Vladimir Putin could advance on other countries if he succeeds with this offensive against Ukrainian troops.
Borrell’s statements were made during a speech at Saint Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, and in it he analyzed the global geopolitical situation and, in particular, the two armed conflicts that the world is currently facing. Thus, in his panel titled “Europe faces two wars” He insisted that more and more voices are aware that the result of the war in kyiv will have global implications, beyond these borders.
Even the day before, in London he had urged Downing Street to build a new post-Brexit relationship with the EU focused on defense and security since there are many issues addressed by the allies that also concern the United Kingdom, even being outside the bloc. Likewise, Borrell alluded to the case of the French president, Emmanuel Macronwho speaks more and more about the importance of provide the kyiv Armed Forces with the artillery and support necessary to defeat on the battle front.
The High Representative pointed out, however, that in his opinion, the world is not yet prepared to face the harsh conditions and “the gravity of the current moment,” with a growing presence of violence and hatred over peace. In this regard, he pointed out that although important steps have been taken to unite efforts to fight this trend, “one thing is waking up and another is finding the strength to get out of bed.” And he considered: “In some cases, we are still in bed.”
This was when he took the opportunity to add to the conflict in Half East his speech and lamented that, when Europe was beginning to assimilate the clashes in Ukraine, “another war came.”
On this issue, he appealed for a prompt peaceful resolution and recognized that Europeans have a strong responsibilityso he considered that it should be achieved a “shared” land agreement between Palestinians and Israelis. However, he regretted the prime minister’s position. Benjamin Netanyahuwhom he accused of blocking attempts at a two-state solution, something that Europe still does not understand.
In any case, he assured that optimism has not been abandoned since, for example, in Northern Ireland, the peace process seemed impossible but after years of patient negotiations, in 1998 the signing of the Good Friday Agreement was reached, which put an end to to the sectarian conflict between pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Catholics.
Finally, he pointed out that another of the keys to facing the current crises is the diversification of commercial links or the deepening of cooperation with those who share the values and interests of the bloc’s allies, as is the case of London. Thus, he called to consider other actors, middle powers, such as India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa or Turkey, and not to dismiss the roles of the United States and China.
(With information from EFE)
