Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy,  is "not optimistic" about the events to unfold in Ukraine during the summer, and also predicts a new military offensive by Russia.

Source: The EU's top diplomat said this at the Cercle d'Economia conference in Barcelona, reports European Pravda citing La Vanguardia and the BBC.

Quote: "I'm not optimistic about what's going to happen in Ukraine this summer," Borrell said.

In his opinion, Moscow will not sit at the negotiating table without first trying to win the war in Ukraine.

"He [Putin – ed.] has tried once and did not succeed," said the EU's top diplomat, adding that Russia would try to re-capture Ukraine despite the significant losses of the Russian army.

"It still has power, we should not underestimate it," he added.

Borrell stressed the need to increase military spending to respond to the defence challenges facing Europe.

He said that the military presence of the Russian Federation in Ukraine is "enormous".

"Putin has amassed over 300,000 men there, twice as many as he had when he launched the invasion," Borrell said.

According to him, the daily shelling, the killing of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure indicate that Russia has a plan that it adheres to.

"I'm afraid that they don't do that without a plan. We have to be prepared, which means continuing to help Ukraine, because if we don't help it, Ukraine cannot defend [itself – ed.]," Borrell said.

Last week, Josep Borrell expressed confidence that Ukraine can win in the full-scale war with Russia.

Although Borrell did not specify whose statements he was commenting on, earlier in an interview with Bloomberg, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Ukraine cannot win the aggressive war that Russia unleashed against it.

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