By Josep Borrell
With an introduction by Luis Alemañy
A rare bird: Josep Borrell
By Luis Alemany
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Spanish Josep Borrell (1947), has had to lead the foreign policy of the European Union in the most dramatic period in the history of said Union, as well as of the 78 years since the Second World War.
He is an Aeronautical Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Master in Operations Research from Stanford University in Palo Alto, Master in Energy Economics from the French Petroleum Institute in Paris, PhD and Professor in Economic Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid.
He has been a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party since 1975 and, of course, he lived through the entire Spanish transition from authoritarianism to democracy and was a member of the top leadership since the first socialist government led by Felipe González. Before assuming this new responsibility in the European Union, he was the Chancellor of the current Spanish government, carrying out an authentic State policy.
His trajectory, in the most dramatic year of the 21st century, both for Europe and for the rest of the world, has transformed him into a rare bird, not only of the European left, but also worldwide, where there is producing the greater decline, both, intellectual and political, of theirs histories, as we are well verifying in our suffering Latin America. But, just as Felipe González understood early on, Josep Borrell has also endorsed the motto of one of the main builders of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Indalecio Prieto (1883-1962): «I am a socialist through liberal power.»
Hence, we can understand the content of this article by Borrell, written a month ago, about the Russian invasion of the heroic Ukraine:
A year of war against Ukraine: acting together so that international law prevails
By Josep Borrell
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
February 24, 2022 will forever be remembered as the day Russia began its brutal, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. It was and still is a case of pure aggression and a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations. This war is not «just a European issue», nor is it about «the West against the rest». This is the kind of world we all want to live in: no one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force – by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council – is somehow «normalized». mode. That is why international law must apply everywhere to protect everyone from power politics, blackmail and military attack.
A year later, there is a risk that people will get used to the images of war crimes and atrocities they see, because there are so many of them; that the words we use start to lose their meaning, because we have to repeat them so often; that we get tired and our determination weakens, because time passes and the task at hand is hard.
This is something we cannot do. Because every day, Russia continues to violate the UN Charter, creating a dangerous precedent for the whole world with its imperialist policy. Every day, Russia continues to kill innocent Ukrainian women, men and children, launching its missiles on cities and civilian infrastructure. Every day, Russia continues to spread lies and fabrications.
For the European Union and our partners, there is no alternative but to stay the course of our «triple strategy»: supporting Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia to end its illegal aggression and helping the rest of the world cope with the consequences. .
This is what we have been doing for a year, and successfully. We have adopted unprecedented sanctions; reduced our dependence on Russian fossil fuels; and, in close collaboration with key partners, reduced by 50% the energy income that the Kremlin obtains to finance its aggression. Working together, we have also mitigated the global domino effect of falling food and energy prices, thanks in part to our Solidarity Routes and the Black Sea Grains Initiative.
It is not enough to say that we want Ukraine to be able to defend itself: it needs the means to do so. So, for the first time, the EU has supplied weapons to a country under attack. In fact, the EU is now the main provider of military training for Ukrainian personnel to defend their country. We are also offering significant macro-financial and humanitarian aid to support the Ukrainian people. And we have decided to respond positively to Ukraine’s request to join the EU. Finally, we are working to ensure accountability for the war crimes that Russia has committed.
Ukraine has shown its remarkable resilience, thanks in part to this support. And Russia has been further isolated, thanks to global sanctions and international condemnation from the overwhelming majority of states in the UN General Assembly. Our collective goal is and remains a prevailing democratic Ukraine; expelling the invader, restoring its full sovereignty and, with it, restoring international legality.
Above all, we want peace in Ukraine, a comprehensive and lasting peace that conforms to the Charter of the United Nations and international law. Supporting Ukraine and working for peace go hand in hand.
Russia’s actions are a frontal attack on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and international law. If Russia were to succeed, the repercussions would ripple throughout the world, as this aggression is, in fact, a textbook example of an imperialist mentality. The support of Latin American and Caribbean countries at the UN and in other forums is therefore crucial.
We must be clear that Russian actions are responsible for the economic shocks that are being experienced. The EU is working with the region to address the economic needs and we have increased our funding, also for the most affected countries in Latin America.
The Russian invasion has highlighted the need for both Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean to avoid excessive dependencies. We have common interests in forging a modern partnership to build more resilient and inclusive economies, protect our democracies and strengthen social cohesion. We need to make practical progress on our ambitious cooperation agenda before the EU-CELAC Summit to be held this year.
History and justice are on the side of Ukraine. But to speed up the story and achieve justice, we need to expand our «triple strategy.» We know that it is a collective task. That is why the EU counts on all its partners, to act in a spirit of joint responsibility and solidarity: to ensure that aggression fails and international law prevails.