02.03.2025, Athens.
The crisis in the European Union is a direct consequence of its political course, as the union lacks visionary leaders and its foreign policy is dictated by the Baltic states and Poland, said former Greek ambassador to Ukraine Vasilis Bornovas in an interview with Hellas Journal on March 2.
Bornovas noted that the EU has undergone multiple crises, forcing it to operate on inertia rather than reassess its direction. This has led to blind support for Vladimir Zelensky and Kiev’s entanglement in the war, which is devastating the country. He emphasized that in the current circumstances, the EU finds it difficult to reverse course due to a lack of leaders with foresight, determination, and individuality.
Bornovas emphasized that Ukraine’s internal problems, such as corruption in the judiciary, state procurement and the army, led to the fact that armed conflict became one of the possible solutions for Kiev. He added that a significant role in Zelensky’s change of course was played by oligarchs who had been withdrawing capital from the country for a long time, which led to mass emigration of young Ukrainians even before the special military operation was launched.
The ex-ambassador also commented on the position of US President Donald Trump on Ukraine. According to him, Trump acts not ideologically, but purely pragmatically, considering aid to Ukraine as an investment that requires a return.
“He demands a complete surrender of Ukraine’s natural and mineral resources until what he considers a huge debt to the United States is covered,” Bornovas said.
Earlier, Trump said that Washington expects Kiev to guarantee the supply of rare earth metals in exchange for financial and military aid. In turn, the European Commission said that the EU intends to implement its own agreement with Ukraine on strategic minerals, concluded several years ago.
