EU ministers meet in Ukraine in show of support despite US, Slovakia wobbles

A pro-Russian candidate won the election in Slovakia, and the U.S. Congress left financing for Kyiv out of a budget bill. As a result, the EU’s foreign ministers met for the first time ever outside the bloc on Monday in Ukraine.

“We are convening a historic meeting of EU Foreign Ministers here in Ukraine, candidate country and future member of the EU,” Borrell said on X. “We are here to express our solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people.”

For the first time in history, outside of existing EU borders, the summit was held in Ukraine, according to Dmytro Kuleba, the country’s foreign minister. however, within its foreseeable boundaries."

Washington maintains that despite Congress’ exclusion of Ukraine funding from an emergency spending agreement agreed over the weekend to avert a government shutdown, its strong military and political backing for Ukraine has not changed.

President Joe Biden’s administration said it anticipates the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will pass a resolution to keep the help flowing, despite increased calls for funding of Ukraine from right-wing Republican allies of former President Donald Trump.

Biden said he was “sick and tired” of the political gamesmanship that had nearly cost him his job as he urged congressional Republicans to support the help on Sunday.

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Kuleba, a correspondent for the Ukraine, stated that Kyiv was still confident in American support.

“We don’t feel that the U.S support has been shattered… because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine,” he told reporters as he greeted Borrell.

The issue, according to him, was whether the weekend events in the US Congress were “an incident or a system.”

“I think it was an incident,” he said. “We have a very in-depth discussion with both parts of the Congress - Republicans and Democrats.”

In Slovakia’s election on Sunday, pro-Russian former prime minister Fico received the most votes and will now have the opportunity to build the country’s first administration. In his campaign, he demanded that Ukraine receive “not a single round” of ammunition from Slovakia’s stockpile.

“We are not changing that we are prepared to help Ukraine in a humanitarian way,” Fico said at a news conference after his victory. “We are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine.”

NATO member Slovakia, which shares a small border with Ukraine, has taken in refugees and contributed an unusually large amount of armaments, including being among the first to dispatch fighter jets.

Despite pressure from Hungary, whose nationalist leader Viktor Orban frequently opposes sanctions against Moscow, the EU has so far managed to retain its steadfast pro-Ukrainian attitude.

Fico would need to build a coalition with at least one other party that has a different public stance on Ukraine in order to create a government.

“I think it’s too early to judge how these elections will impact the support of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Kuleba said. “We have to wait until the coalition is formed.”

(With agency inputs)