FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL: ANTI-AIRCRAFT AID TO UKRAINE AND NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN
By Eduardo González, The Diplomat in Spain
The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), held this Monday, April 22, 2024, in Luxembourg, committed to address the delivery of air defense systems and ammunition to Ukraine and announced the extension of the Iran sanctions regime and the decision to invite the Israeli foreign minister and the new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority to a future FAC meeting.
UKRAINE
The Luxembourg Foreign Affairs Council discussed Russian aggression against Ukraine at a joint session that brought together EU foreign and defense ministers and featured, via videoconference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who provided updates on the latest developments on the ground and Ukraine’s current priorities.
“In addition to missiles and drones, Ukrainians have reported the firing of 7,000 guided bombs by Russia in the four months of this year, which is about 60 guided bombs a day, and there is constant shelling in the East. This is part of Putin’s strategy,” European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told the press conference afterwards.
“It is clear that Ukraine lacks the weapons to defend itself and repel Russia’s aggression,” he continued. Therefore, he added, “there is a clear sense of urgency for the European Union and all of Ukraine’s allies to act,” and the most important way to act is to provide air defense batteries and ammunition for these batteries,” he added.
In this regard, Borrell proposed to the representatives of the 27 to coordinate the urgent delivery of these items at the EU level. During the ministerial discussion, several member states showed their readiness to consider specific assistance or to contribute to existing initiatives such as the Czech one on ammunition or the German one on air defense.
MIDDLE EAST
As regards the situation in the Middle East, the Foreign Affairs Council paid particular attention to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the risk of escalation in the region in general. With regard to the latter, the Council stressed once again that all parties involved in the region must exercise restraint and take steps to reduce tension.
It also agreed on further measures regarding Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region. “We have reached a political agreement to broaden and extend the existing drone regime to impose sanctions on Iran to cover missiles and their potential transfers to Russia, which includes missile production,” Borrell stated. Secondly, it was agreed to “expand the geographical area of this framework to cover drone and missile shipments not only to Russia but to the entire Middle East and Red Sea region,” and it was decided to “expand the list of prohibited drone components.”
As for Gaza, the High Representative stressed that there has been no progress in the release of hostages, no prospect of a cease-fire, and no real relief from the current humanitarian catastrophe. Furthermore, he stressed that there will be no lasting stability in the region as long as the war in Gaza continues. The EU ministers agreed to invite, once again, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to a future meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, as well as the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Muhamad Mustafa.
SUDAN
The Foreign Affairs Council also discussed the situation in Sudan following an informal exchange of views with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, who joined the discussion via videoconference at the beginning of the debate. The Council discussed in particular how to strengthen coordination with the United Nations, but also with the African Union and other international partners.
April 15 marked the first anniversary of the outbreak of war between the actors in the military coup in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On that day, France, Germany and the EU co-sponsored the “International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries,” held in Paris on April 15, 2024
GEORGIA
Ministers also raised the situation in Georgia and expressed concern about the new law on transparency of foreign influence, which was recently submitted to the Georgian Parliament.
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This article was originally published in The Diplomat in Spain and in Aquí Europa. Permission was granted for its publication on this site.
