The head of EU diplomacy and ex-minister for the ruling PSOE party (S&D), Josep Borrell, called the leftist Podemos party (EU Left) “naive” over their hopes to tackle the Ukranian conflict without weapons. For its part, Podemos insists that peace sooner or later will come and asks Borrell “how many deaths” he could accept by that time.
Since Russia’s war against Ukraine started, Podemos, a partner of the Spanish governing coalition, has been adamant about sending arms to Ukraine.
Ione Belarra, Secretary General of Podemos and Minister of Social rights, called once again on their coalition partner PSOE on 17 February to reconsider their position, fearing an escalation of the conflict and mobilisation of troops.
PSOE has insisted on their support for sending weapons as part of a common European response to the conflict.
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In an interview with Onda Cero radio station on Wednesday, Borrell criticised the “enormous naivety” of the left-wing party, believing that the war could end with a ceasefire or diplomatic negotiations if countries would stop sending weapons to Ukraine.
Borrell’s statement irritated the leftist party.
“If he believes that de-escalating and seeking avenues of dialogue to build peace is naïve, that’s up to him,” a source from Podemos told EURACTIV.
Borrell also warned that if military aid to Ukraine stopped, Russia would continue to attack, and Ukraine would be unable to defend itself.
Asked how the EU could bring dialogue without military force, the Podemos source replied:
“We know that you don’t enter into a sincere dialogue overnight, that’s why we are asking for the conditions to be created that will allow dialogue for the future. In our view, these conditions include a ceasefire that ends the loss of life, the destruction of infrastructure and marks a turning point in the conflict”.
“Peace will come sooner or later”, the Podemos source stressed, and added: “The question is how much death and destruction Borrell and the EU are willing to accept between now and then”.
(Max Griera | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
