Foreign ministers from 27 countries hold first meeting outside national borders
Due to the possibility of withdrawal of support from Slovakia
“Russia promotes division… “Don’t play around.”
U.S. Republican Party’s ‘back-door agreement to support Ukraine’ internal scandal… Hard-line lawmaker proposes motion to dismiss House Speaker
Foreign ministers from 27 member countries of the European Union (EU) held a meeting in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, a non-member country, on the 2nd and announced their intention to provide 5 billion euros (about 7 trillion won) in support to Ukraine next year. Today’s meeting was the first joint meeting of EU foreign ministers outside the EU’s borders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for additional support from the West, saying, “We need unity to win the war with Russia.”
However, it is also undeniable that in the United States and other major Western countries, voices expressing dissatisfaction with the fatigue and increased cost burden caused by the prolongation of the war are increasing. The U.S. opposition Republican Party is pushing for Speaker McCarthy’s dismissal, claiming that his party’s House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Joe Biden made a kind of ‘backdoor agreement’ regarding support for Ukraine. The New York Times reported that there is a possibility that Russia may spread various false information and conspiracy theories to block Western support for Ukraine.
Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, held a press conference in Kiev on this day and said, “We have proposed a support package of up to 5 billion euros to Ukraine next year. “We hope that a related agreement will be reached within the year,” he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was also present, also said, “Russia is pouring enormous resources into fostering divisions among Ukraine’s allies. “Let’s not play around,” he said.
Ministers of major EU countries agreed. “We have seen the brutal way Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging war,” said German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock. “We must stop this with every means at our disposal,” she said. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also added, “The purpose of this meeting is to demonstrate our firm and continuous support,” adding, “Russia should not expect ‘war fatigue’ from us.”
The background to the EU’s emphasis on unity is that on the 30th of last month, the pro-Russian and anti-EU opposition Social Democratic Party ranked first in Slovakia, an EU member state, and growing skepticism about repeated support from the United States and Poland. There is. This is an attempt to dispel the sense of crisis before it spreads. Representative Borrell emphasized that “no EU member state has yet withdrawn its support for Ukraine.” Regarding the results of the Slovak general election, Minister Kuleba said, “The formation of a coalition government has not yet been completed,” and that it is too early to discuss a pro-Russian party taking power.
In a statement on this day, President Zelenskyy expanded EU-level sanctions against Iran, which supports attack unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to Russia as well as Russia, and also requested additional air defense support.
In U.S. politics, the battle over support for Ukraine is expanding. President Biden was asked by reporters on the 1st whether he could trust Chairman McCarthy in the next negotiation process, even though he had processed a temporary budget to prevent a federal government shutdown, and said, “We have reached an agreement on Ukraine.” ) One was concluded. So, let’s wait and see.”
As this sparked controversy over the two’s secret agreement, Representative Matt Gates, a hard-line Republican, proposed a resolution to dismiss Chairman McCarthy on the 2nd. They cited the fact that Chairman McCarthy lied to Republican lawmakers during the process of processing the interim budget and that he made a ‘secret deal’ with President Biden over the Ukraine aid budget. Hard-liners in the Republican Party are calling for reducing aid to Ukraine and spending more on protecting the U.S. border to prevent immigrants from Central and South America.
When McCarthy was elected as chairman in January of this year, he faced opposition from hardliners within the party on the grounds that he was too paternalistic toward the ruling Democratic Party. Because of this, he barely became chairman after 15 rounds of voting. At the time, he relaxed the requirements to allow one member of the National Assembly to independently propose a motion to dismiss the chairman, as demanded by hardliners, but this provision is now holding him back.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.