"Very important events" related to Ukraine will be revealed soon, Josep Borrell has hinted in an interview with Spain's TVE.
The developments can be expected during Spain's six-month presidency of the European Union, the EU foreign policy chief underscored. He went on to clarify that these important things are going to happen both on the battlefield and in connection with the more or less closed-door negotiations on ending the Ukraine conflagration.
Elsewhere in the interview, Borrell noted that peace talks between Kiev and Moscow might hinge on events “expected in the coming days,” adding that the number of initiatives aimed at stopping the conflict was “increasing.”
When questioned regarding commitment from the European Union regarding the EU accession process that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has persistently been demanding, Borrell expressed the belief that Spain would "surely promote it," as the Spanish government had "always supported Ukraine's candidacy."
Borrell pointed out that Spain's President Pedro Sanchez has visited Kiev, and would be keen to promote the accession process both from a political dimension, and its technical part.
Josep Borrell conceded that it has sometimes been hard to achieve unity within the 27-member bloc on aid to Ukraine. He added that currently, the EU needs to face the fact that a decision to provide 500 million euros ($546 million) for more ammunition for Ukraine has been blocked because of "one country that says no." Reference here was made to the Hungarian government, which has doubled down on its stance preventing the European Union from approving a package of military aid for the Kiev regime. At the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, Hungary reaffirmed the veto.
Josep Borrell's "hints" come amid a great many Western media reports surfacing of late speculating that negotiations on the situation in Ukraine may begin in July. German TV channel ARD carried such a report on June 26, citing sources. At the same time, the outlet did not specify whether Russia would be invited to participate in such negotiations. A US report also mentioned a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William Burns in June, during which Ukrainian officials purportedly revealed a strategy to launch ceasefire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, according to unnamed officials.
Furthermore, despite Ukraine's stuttering counteroffensive and Western-supplied weaponry being destroyed by Russia's military, Ukrainian officials ostensibly told Burns they sought to move artillery and missile systems near the boundary line of Crimea, push further into eastern Ukraine by the fall, and open negotiations with Moscow "from a strong position."
The CIA refused to comment when asked about Burns' assessment of Kiev's plans, the report said.
Any peace talks on the terms pushed forward by Kiev and its sponsors in Washington is unacceptable for Moscow, said Svetlana Zhurova, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Zhurova speculated that a desire to gain quicker access to the EU might prompt Kiev to "start to bargain." "If this happens, maybe they will agree to something faster,” she concluded.
Moscow has continuously underscored that the lack of openness to negotiations on Kiev's part is a combination of three factors, including its unwillingness, unpreparedness, and not being allowed to by its Western sponsors.
"As a matter of fact, now there are no premises for agreements. Moreover, now there is no foundation, even a flimsy one, in order to build at least some kind of a dialogue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in June.
The Kremlin has previously stated that it appreciates the efforts of all the countries that have been trying to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution, but so far this has been impossible, with Russia currently achieving its goals through its military operation.