On Monday, EU foreign affairs head Josep Borrell claimed the war in Ukraine had damaged Russia when Wagner mercenaries attempted a mutiny.
At a Luxembourg summit of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers, Mr. Borrell appeared to call the organization a “monster”.
“This weekend showed that the war against Ukraine is cracking Russian power and affecting its political system,” he added.
“It’s bad to see a nuclear power like Russia go into political instability.”
Mr. Borrell said EU backing for Ukraine was more crucial than ever.
“The monster [Russian President Vladimir] Putin created in Bakhmut is acting against its creator,” he continued.
Wagner forces took Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donbas area last month and gave it to Russian forces.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign affairs minister, questioned the mutiny’s influence on the Ukraine war as Wagner troops were within a few hundred kilometers of Moscow before turning back.
“It goes without saying that what is happening in Russia has a huge impact on the rest of the world,” he remarked.
On Saturday, Ukraine organized a gathering in Copenhagen to discuss peace amid developments in Russia. “The meeting itself is the most important thing and that’s a positive signal,” he remarked.
European leaders have taken a “wait-and-see” approach.
“I want to stress that this is a Russian internal event and we are solely observing,” stated Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
Ms. Valtonen said it was too early to determine how the mutiny will affect Russian politics and the Ukraine war.
“It’s still early to tell where this will lead to but of course it’s pretty obvious that the events of the weekend will have a continued effect on how Putin is seen internally but also on how Russia is seen externally,” she told reporters.
European foreign ministers are set to adopt a 3.5 billion euro ($3.81 billion) military aid package for Ukraine.
The ministers are anticipated to boost the budgetary cap on the European Peace Facility, which has already given Ukraine 5.6 billion euros ($6.1 billion) in military aid.
Officials say Hungary is blocking another 500 million-euro ($545 million) tranche of the financing for Ukraine.
Budapest won’t withdraw its block unless Kyiv removes Hungarian bank OTP from its list of “international sponsors” of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
The EU’s 2021 fund helped developing nations acquire military weapons. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the union used it to provide weaponry.
European foreign ministers are also poised to approve a ninth set of sanctions against Iran for its crackdown on a protest movement.
