The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union started today in Brussels, with an agenda that is extremely critical, with the two wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, in full swing.

At the heart of the debate today is Joe Biden’s decision to give the “green light” for Ukraine to use US long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time, to strike targets inside Russia.

Moderate reactions in Brussels

OR Francewhich has supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, said allowing Kiev to strike military targets inside Russia remains a choice on the table.

“We have said openly that this was an option we would consider if we were to allow a target to be hit from where Russia is now attacking Ukrainian soil. Therefore, nothing newFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot told reporters attending the EU ministerial meeting in Brussels.

“The United States has received a important decision in terms of supporting Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense,” he said from the side of the German Foreign Minister Analena Burbok, stressing however that this does not constitute a change in the West’s strategy.

“The decision on the American side, and I would like to emphasize that this is not a review but an intensification of what other partners have already responded to, is so important at this time,” Burbok said as she arrived at the meeting of European foreign ministers.

“It is unclear whether Ukraine has enough missiles to defend itselfas long as it is allowed to use them to hit targets inside Russia,” said its foreign minister Lithuania.

“I’m not popping champagne yet because we don’t know the real numbers on how many missiles Ukraine has,” Gabrielius Landsbergis said. “So the question is, do they have enough missiles to make a difference on the battlefield?”

Moscow’s reaction

If the United States allows Ukraine to use American weapons to strike inside Russia, it will lead to an increase in tension and deepen the involvement of the United States in the conflict, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the outgoing Joe Biden administration is adding fuel to the fire and seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

If it is officially confirmed by Washington that Joe Biden has authorized Kiev to use long-range US missiles to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, this approval will lead to “a fundamentally new situation in terms of US involvement in this conflict “, warned the representative of the Kremlin.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such a green light from the West “would mean nothing less than direct involvement of NATO countries in the war in Ukraine.”

Josep Borrell: “Putin doesn’t seem willing to negotiate – quite the opposite”

“Putin doesn’t seem willing to negotiate, quite the opposite,” EU High Representative Josep Borrell said for his part, attending the Council of EU Foreign Ministers.

“Putin has responded to every attempt at negotiation by launching his most ferocious attack on Ukraine’s political infrastructure and especially its electricity infrastructure. It was the worst attack in months,” said Z. Borrell referring to the Russian strikes last weekend.

“We must use the language of power. This is more true today than ever, but to do it we have to be united,” said Borrell, whose term as EU High Representative ends in less than a month.

“Many times we had to discuss for a very long time. We cannot say that we are a geopolitical power if it takes months to reach an agreement. My last appeal to my colleagues is to be more united and make decisions faster,” added Z. Borel, who is probably participating for the last time in a Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU.

He expressed his regret because as he said “decisions to support Ukraine took us a long time” and as he said: “Ukrainians need more support and we must give it to them to stop the conflict”.

Finally, Z. Borrell said EU foreign ministers will today discuss the “new situation” that has arisen following the US election result. “We are facing a completely different political landscape and Europeans must be ready to act, without first having to wait to react to US decisions,” he noted. The end of US support for Ukraine and what measures the Europeans could take in this case will be discussed at today’s Council, as the election of Donald Trump in the US has led to fears that US support will end and the Ukrainians should be negotiated.