AMNA NAWAZ: The Biden administration is struggling to find solutions to two major foreign policy challenges, creating a cease-fire in the war in Gaza and helping fund Ukraine's war against Russia.
In each case, it's working with the European Union, whose foreign policy chief is visiting Washington.
Nick Schifrin sat down with him today.
NICK SCHIFRIN: And we're now joined by the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy for the European Union, Josep Borrell.
Thank you very much.
Welcome back to the "NewsHour."
Let me start with Israel and Gaza.
Today, as you saw, the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, made a speech at Congress, and he said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.
Do you agree?
JOSEP BORRELL, European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs: Well, I perceive a change on the mood of the public opinion in the U.S. with respect to what's happening in Gaza.
More and more people are feeling concerned with what I certainly can call a massacre.
We have 30,000 civilians killed.
It's a lot of people.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala has been saying that to many, certainly.
And it is not just in the U.S.
It's true that the whole world is concerned about what's happening there.
NICK SCHIFRIN: I think the majority leader's criticism was almost personal to the prime minister, to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Do you agree with his criticism of Netanyahu specifically?
JOSEP BORRELL: We at the European Union, we have priorities.
One of the priorities would be to look for a two-state solution and to give the Palestinians the right to have its own land, its own government.
And, certainly, we would prefer to have a leader who could be compatible with this approach.
NICK SCHIFRIN: And it sounds like you don't think Netanyahu is compatible with that approach?
JOSEP BORRELL: Well, Netanyahu has been saying and resaying that he is the most firm opposing to this solution.
NICK SCHIFRIN: This week, you told the Security Council that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.
How so?
JOSEP BORRELL: Do you think there is a starvation in Gaza?
Yes, it is a starvation in Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people are starving literally, among them many children who have been dying by this nutrition.
If there is starvation, why there is starvation?
Because there is not enough humanitarian support entering to support these people?
And why is it?
Because Israel is controlling the border, and not letting humanitarian support to come in.
So it is the logical consequences, no?
You prevent humanitarian support from coming and people are starving, isn't it logical cause and effect there?
NICK SCHIFRIN: But accusing them of having -- of using it as a weapon of war is suggesting they are doing so purposely.
Israel specifically says that there is no restriction on the number of aid trucks getting in or the amount of aid getting in, and they blame the United Nations and a lack of capacity for the lack of it.
JOSEP BORRELL: Well, I don't think so.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Why not?
What's your evidence that it is Israel's fault?
JOSEP BORRELL: There's a lot of evidence that the controls in the border prevent the support to come in.
I don't think Israel can say that it's doing everything in order to support coming in to Gaza.
NICK SCHIFRIN: In the same speech where you accused Israel of using food as a weapon of war, you did not call on Hamas to release the hostages or lay down their arms.
JOSEP BORRELL: Oh, come on.
I'm saying that every time.
Every time I take the floor, I start saying that the freedom of the hostages is a must and Hamas just to release it.
I have been saying and resaying and repeating.
And I don't care to say it again, that Hamas is considered a terrorist organization that launched an attack that is completely unacceptable, and the hostages has to be freed.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Let's switch to Ukraine.
Have you been able to speak to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to urge him to allow for a vote for the $60 billion military and economic aid support package for Ukraine that has been stalled in the House?
JOSEP BORRELL: No, not with the speaker of the House, but I had the opportunity to talk with some members of the -- a member of the House from the Republican side.
And I tried to explain him and ask him to explain to their colleagues, just imagine which could be the consequences of a blockage of the American support to Ukraine.
Just imagine the Russian tanks breaking the defense lines of Ukraine, heading to Kyiv, putting a puppet government in Kyiv, putting Ukrainian people on an authoritarian regime.
And we know how the Russian authoritarian regime works.
Putting the Russian army on the borders of Poland and the Baltics, being a serious threat to Moldova.
The security cost for us, Europeans, and for you, U.S. people, of a Russian victory in Ukraine is so great, so big, so unbearable that I urge everybody to understand that the support to Ukraine has to continue, not only for generosity with the people who are defending themselves from an invasion, but also in our own interest.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Can the European Union provide military aid to Ukraine that is in enough quantity to replace American military assistance?
JOSEP BORRELL: From the military point of view, no.
You have been a stronger supporter because you have a stronger military capacity, you know?
Nobody can compete with the U.S. Army and the U.S. military capacities.
And, certainly, if you could stop doing that, no one else can take your place.
NICK SCHIFRIN: There are already questions in Europe, as you know, about us reliability.
I have been told that there's military planning, for example, in Germany if the U.S. withdraws from NATO.
There are even people considering whether the United Kingdom and France should offer a nuclear security guarantee to Europe.
Do you support some of those conversations?
JOSEP BORRELL: Well, there is not alternative for NATO to ensure Europe in front of the territorial threat that Russia can represent.
But, at the same time, there is a growing feeling among Europeans that we have to develop more our own capacities, just in case, just in case that, in the future, we should take more responsibility from our side.
And this is not a bad deal.
By the contrary, I think that this war has represented a wake-up for the European strategic thinking.
It's a general feeling among the Europeans that we live in a challenging world, that we make peace among us, but peace is not the rule.
And we have to be ready to face a challenge.
NICK SCHIFRIN: And is it not only about the war?
It also about the Republican nominee for president of the United States, Donald Trump, who called the European Union an economic foe and who has questioned whether the United States, if he were to be reelected, would defend NATO allies under Article 5?
JOSEP BORRELL: Well, if Trump is reelected, we will think about Trump.
At the time being, we think about Biden.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Josep Borrell, thank you very much.
JOSEP BORRELL: Thank you.