European leaders rally around Zelenskiy at Spain summit
Send a link to a friend
[October 05, 2023]
By Andrew Gray, Gabriela Baczynska and Inti Landauro
GRANADA, Spain (Reuters) -European leaders will assure Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of their long-term support during talks on
Thursday after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced fears that Republican
infighting in Congress could damage American aid to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy arrived in the Spanish city of Granada for a summit of the
European Political Community - a forum established last year following
Russia's invasion of Ukraine to foster cooperation among more than 40
countries from Norway to Albania.
"The main challenge is to save unity in Europe. Not only in the EU but
in all of Europe," Zelenskiy said on his arrival, warning of Russian
"disinformation attacks".
Earlier, he said on social media that his key priority was to beef up
Ukraine's air defences.
"We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region as well as our
joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of
navigation," he added.
Russia pulled out of a deal in July that had allowed Ukraine - a leading
global grain exporter - to safely ship food products out via the Black
Sea.
Russia has so far rejected U.N. overtures to revive the deal, while
Ukraine is continuing some exports via what it calls a temporary
"humanitarian corridor" for cargo vessels.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/05/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png)
Ukraine's efforts to export grain overland via EU countries have caused
a rift with Poland and some other eastern members of the bloc that are
keen to protect their own farmers. Kyiv and Brussels are also discussing
expanding alternative sea routes.
TURBULENCE
The Granada gathering gives leaders such as French President Emmanuel
Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak a chance to re-state their commitment to Ukraine after political
turbulence in both the U.S. and Europe raised questions about continued
support.
In the U.S., a dispute among the Republican majority in the House of
Representatives has complicated budget negotiations and prompted
Democrat Biden to go from confidence that an agreement will be made on
Ukraine aid to openly expressing concern.
"It does worry me," Biden said on Wednesday, though he added that a
majority of U.S. lawmakers continued to support funding Ukraine.
The head of the European Commission, the EU executive, Ursula von der
Leyen, said on arriving in Granada that she was "very confident" that
the U.S. would continue backing Ukraine.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/05/images/ads/current/werth_sda_FHG_2023.png)
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/100523PIX/news_k82.jpg)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the European
Political Community summit, in Granada, Spain October 5, 2023.
REUTERS/Jon Nazca
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/05/images/ads/current/graue_lda_WHITETRUCK_091823.jpg)
In Europe too, support for Kyiv has recently seen setbacks.
In Slovakia, former prime minister Robert Fico's party came first in
a parliamentary election on pledges of halting military aid to
Ukraine, while Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said
Warsaw was no longer arming Ukraine.
Some Ukrainian, European Union and NATO officials have played down
these developments, saying support for Kyiv will ultimately hold
steady as it is in the West's own interests.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday he was "very
confident" that U.S. support for Ukraine would continue.
CHALLENGES
The summit will also discuss efforts by Ukraine and others to join
the EU as well as how to tackle increasing arrivals of refugees and
migrants from the Middle East and Africa - both seen as existential
challenges for the bloc.
"Going from an EU of 27 to an EU of 35 will create many challenges
internally. We will open in Granada this large debate that will take
us to a deep reform of the EU," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez, host of the gathering.
Talks on the margins of Thursday's gathering will focus on crises
between Azerbaijan and Armenia and between Serbia and Kosovo, which
have flared in recent weeks amid floundering EU efforts at
mediation.
Hopes for a first meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and
Armenia since Baku's military operation last month to wrest back
control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave were dashed when Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev decided not to attend.
Many EU leaders have condemned the Azerbaijani operation, which
triggered an exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/05/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
Others, mindful that Baku increased gas supplies to the EU during an
energy crunch last year, have stressed the need to focus on helping
Armenia cope with the immediate humanitarian crisis, as well as
providing political and economic support.
(Additional reporting by Belen Carreno in Granada, Andreas Rinke in
Berlin and Anna Pruchnicka; editing by Gareth Jones)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |