• Thursday, 27 June 2024

Borrell to attend OSCE meeting in Skopje, but won’t hold talks with Lavrov

Borrell to attend OSCE meeting in Skopje, but won’t hold talks with Lavrov

Brussels, 28 November 2023 (MIA) - The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stated Tuesday that he will be travelling to Skopje for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting, but he will not be holding talks with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Borrell, at today's press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels, explained that he would not want the seat of the European Union to be empty at the OSCE meeting. He said that he would attend the official dinner, but then he would have to return immediately to attend other meetings in Brussels.

Borrell announced that the main work on new European sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine has been completed. He expressed hope that the relevant decision will be adopted in December.

“The prospect of the war in Ukraine one of the most important issues [with] which we are dealing. But, to be frank, I do not see any sign of Member [States] having what you call “fatigue”. We cannot afford to get tired,” Borrell said.

Borrell emphasized that the total assistance from the EU to Ukraine has already reached €27 billion.

Photo: MIA archive