| Ukraine needs security guarantees from NATO and more weapons to strengthen its position before entering any talks with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday. EU top officials marked their first day in office with a visit to Kyiv. Moreover, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived on a trip to Ukraine on Monday, where he will meet with Zelenskyy, German media reported. Meanwhile, EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told media outlets, including Euractiv, that Europe's backing for Ukraine should remain unrestricted and include the possibility of deploying troops in the future. On an institutional level, though, the EU's outgoing top diplomat Josep Borrell warned in an interview with Euractiv that the increasing divergence within EU institutions regarding who speaks on foreign and security policy is becoming unviable. He also noted that some in the EU do not have the “sense of urgency” and the “moment of truth will come when the EU faces the question of how much money member states are ready to put down to finance defence projects”. Speaking of defence, Aurélie Pugnet has learnt that funding research and development to protect undersea cables, including autonomous systems, will be a key part of the 2025 European Defence Fund programme, as earlier this month, two cables were cut, which Germany and Sweden attributed to “sabotage”. Kallas had a busy weekend as she also issued a statement on the terrorist attack in Kosovo. On Friday evening, part of a canal supplying water for drinking and for two large power stations was blown up. Prishtina has made several arrests, pointing the figure at Belgrade, while Serbia points the finger right back. Alice Taylor-Braçe has the story. In the agrifood world, incoming Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen told Euractiv that in the coming days, he will launch the new “European Board on Agriculture and Food” initiative. He argued that in the last years, farmers felt that “they have not been involved enough in the policymaking […] notably on the Green Deal objectives.” Last but not least, attempts to reach a deal on the global plastics treaty were scuppered on Sunday as countries such as Saudi Arabia opposed provisions that might impact plastic production. | 