In the week when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched referendums in Russian-held parts of Ukraine and made a thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against the West, Talking Europe speaks to the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 from the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Borrell tells Europe Editor Catherine Nicholson that "nobody is going to recognise" the results of the referendums in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which represent about 15 percent of Ukrainian territory.
The High Representative also affirms that EU states "have to continue supporting Ukraine" – including military support and sanctions on Russia.
Finally, asked about Putin's threat to "use all means at Russia's disposal" to – in his words – "protect Russia", Borrell tells FRANCE 24 that "we have to avoid escalation… including verbal escalation" and that "EU states have shown incredible unity" in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
