Historic Visit
The Oasis Reporters
October 3, 2023
European Union chief Josep Borrell (left) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attend a press conference following the EU-Ukraine foreign ministers’ meeting in Kyiv on Oct. 2.Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
By FP
European Union foreign ministers convened in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials on Monday in the bloc’s first-ever meeting outside EU borders.
The surprise visit was aimed at demonstrating the West’s “unwavering” long-term support for Ukraine amid its slower-than-expected counteroffensive against Russia and growing opposition from some quarters to providing Kyiv with additional military assistance.
One such quarter is Slovakia. On Saturday, former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer party won 22.9 percent of the vote in the country’s snap elections, securing 42 seats in the 150-person parliament. Fico—a pro-Kremlin, anti-American populist—campaigned on immediately ending military aid to Ukraine and blocking Kyiv’s NATO membership bid.
“We are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine,” Fico said, reasserting his party’s commitment to only provide humanitarian assistance.
If Fico succeeds in forming a coalition government, then he will likely reverse many of his predecessors’ policies. Past liberal administrations were known for accepting high numbers of Ukrainian refugees and being among the first governments to send fighter jets to Ukraine. However, accusations on Monday by Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry that Moscow interfered with state elections could hamper Fico’s win.
Across the Atlantic, support for Ukraine is also looking a bit shaky. Top Republicans have advocated ending Ukraine funding for months, and on Saturday, the U.S. Congress had to remove military aid to Ukraine from its stopgap spending bill to get House Republicans to support it and thereby avoid a government shutdown. U.S. President Joe Biden said Republicans promised to provide the aid in a separate vote, but some conservative lawmakers are pushing back.
Still, Ukraine is downplaying the notion that Washington is wavering. “We don’t feel that the U.S. support has been shattered,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, “because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine.”
Foreign Policy.
