EU says to support Ukraine until 'victory it defines'

The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the EU will continue to support the international isolation of Russia and Ukraine "until its self-described victory".

Borrell spoke to the press after the meeting of the EU foreign ministers.

Stating that the ministers agreed on a message against Russia, Borrell said, "First, we will continue to isolate Russia in the international arena. We will continue to implement restrictive measures against the Russian economy."

"We are ready to strengthen the restrictive measures and especially target third countries such as Iran and Belarus which are known to provide arms and military support to Russia," he added.

Noting that the EU and its member states provided at least 8 billion euros worth of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, Borrell said, "This amount corresponds to approximately 45 percent of what the US provides to Kyiv."

When asked by a journalist about the unwillingness of Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table even after Russia's withdrawal from Kherson, Borrel replied, "We will support Ukraine until victory, and victory must be understood according to the parameters of the Ukrainians."

Emphasizing that giving the green light to the military aid mission at the meeting of the foreign ministers is proof of that, Borrell stated that the training within the scope of the mission, where 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained, will be carried out not only in Poland, but also in bases to be provided by many member states and will be operational by the end of the month.

Borrel added that Russia's withdrawal from Kherson shows that it is in a great defeat and failure, but its capacity to do damage is still great.

"They use their capacity not to fight, but to damage critical infrastructure."