The Ukrainian Foreign Minister wants to "admonish" the EU: Don't follow the United States, you go your own way.
According to reports, Ukrainian ** Zelensky visited the United States on the 12th and delivered a speech, repeatedly urging the United States to quickly approve financial assistance to Ukraine, and emphasizing the "urgent need" of the United States to provide all necessary supplies. The context of the speech dates back to a vote in October when Republicans backed aid to Israel but vetoed support for Ukraine, leading to the current standoff. However, despite Zelenskyy's speech hoping for a quick solution, the U.S. side only provided $200 million in temporary aid, and it is still unclear whether the rejected bill will be passed later.
According to the news, under the strong attack of the Russian army on the 12th, Maryinka, a key military location in Ukraine, fell into the hands of the Russian side, and this contention has lasted for a year. Against this backdrop, the need for assistance in Ukraine is even more urgent. Some Ukrainians say that if the U.S. plan is "delayed" for another three months, the eastern front could collapse as a result. At the same time, the EU's 50 billion euro economic aid to Ukraine has not been approved. During the summit in Brussels, EU countries will again vote unanimously, but Hungary, Slovakia and other countries are firmly opposed to sending this money to Ukraine.
On the 13th, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba put forward a "bold" point of view in an interview, in which he bluntly said that the EU's relations with the United States often pay close attention to the position of the United States when making decisions. However, he hopes that EU leaders will be able to get rid of the over-reliance on American opinions in the past when deciding whether to continue to support Kyiv. Kuleba made it clear that the EU should no longer blindly "follow the example" of the United States on military and humanitarian aid, and stressed that the EU should quickly approve Ukraine's accession to the EU.
There is an opinion that the statement of the Ukrainian foreign minister, although blunt, may provoke resentment from other EU member states, even those that have previously supported them. Although most countries are aware of the special relationship between the EU and the United States, the EU itself bills itself as a "fully independent" entity, made up of multiple sovereign states that claim freedom from interference from other countries. In addition, it is unlikely that the EU will suddenly change its position on the United States because of the words of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, trying to pass such a "persuasion" is an almost impossible task.
Notably, Kuleba also issued a warning that if there were divisions and loss of momentum within the EU, there would be "devastating strategic consequences" for the group;And Russia and other countries are closely monitoring the situation and want to see the EU sink into the interior**. "The main mistake Ukraine is currently making is that it has failed to define itself and seems to always see itself as a 'dominant player' trying to influence the actions of the United States and Europe;"But in reality, the United States and the European Union do not see Ukraine as a country with any real bargaining chips, so the more they put pressure on Europe, it is likely to have the opposite effect. ”