Putin thought his army would be in Kyiv in matter of weeks, yet his army is not that skilled – Borrell

Joseph Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has said that no one expected that Ukraine would so desperately resist Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was sure that he would be in Kyiv in a matter of weeks.

Source: Josep Borrell in an interview with Radio Liberty

Quote: "Last year [February 24 2022 - ed.] I got a call at five in the morning. And when I heard the phone ringing, I immediately thought: I will be told that Kyiv is being bombed. And this is what the voice on the other end of the wire said to me : ‘Kyiv is being bombed’. At that moment, I understood that the page of history is turning, and we are entering a dramatic situation."

Details: Borrell has stated that a year later, thousands of people have died in Ukraine, but the Russians have also suffered great losses.

"Ukraine is being destroyed. Civilians are being bombed. The infrastructure is completely destroyed: no electricity, no water supply. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but also for the Russians. Tens of thousands of soldiers have died, and many more are wounded," said the top representative of the EU.

"For Russia, this is a dramatic situation, not only for Putin and his people. For the Russian people, this is a sad story. And we don't know how long it will last," he added.

Quote: "No one expected that Ukraine would resist like this. No one. And Putin certainly did not expect it. Putin was sure that in a matter of weeks he would be in Kyiv. And of course, most of Ukraine's friends were afraid that Ukraine would not stand.

But the Russian army has demonstrated that its military is not as skilled as it was supposed to be, instead, Ukrainians are much braver and ready to defend their state."

Details: Borrell noted that Ukraine was able to defend itself thanks to military aid. In his opinion, it is necessary to help "more and faster".

"This war is a shame for the whole world! The whole world is paying dearly for it: rising prices for electricity, energy sources, food products, galloping inflation and weak economic growth. Everyone in the world is paying for the consequences of Putin's decision to invade Ukraine," the European diplomat stated.

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