More than half of the EU member states have called on Brussels to “be ready to act” in support of Ukraine if Russia “tries to undermine” the elections in this country, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported, referring to an internal EU document.
In a discussion paper titled “Keeping Ukraine On Its European Path,” prepared for the meeting of foreign ministers to be held later in February, it is said that the upcoming elections will be “a test case for Ukraine: its democracy, its reforms, its resilience, and its orientation.”
In the document titled “Keeping Ukraine On Its European Path,” the 18 countries also say that the bloc should “avoid EU fatigue in Ukraine or Ukraine fatigue in the EU,” RFE/RL said.
The authors of the document indicate that the conditions for the presidential campaign in Ukraine are not simple. They think that Moscow is expected to “seek to influence the elections through support to its preferred candidates, cyber attacks, and disinformation campaigns.”
The authors of the document call on Brussels to “provide additional assistance, including humanitarian assistance,” to eastern Ukraine.
The document was endorsed by representatives of Austria, Belgium, Britain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
It will be discussed when EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels on February 18 to discuss the political situation in Ukraine, ahead of the country’s presidential election set for March 31 and parliamentary elections later this year, the radio said.
