EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg: Sybiha attends, Red Sea and Georgia on agenda
Kaja Kallas chairs today's meeting. Russia's hybrid attacks, shipping routes in the Middle East and the situation in Georgia are in focus.
Archive image · Photo: belgium24.eu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
EU foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday. Chaired by foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, they will first hold an informal exchange with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Russia's war and its hybrid campaign against the EU, the Council says. According to Ukraine's foreign ministry, Sybiha will push for tougher sanctions, full use of frozen Russian assets and the opening of negotiating clusters for his country's EU accession.
The second focus is the Middle East: ministers will discuss Iran and freedom of navigation as well as Gaza and the West Bank. According to SEE News, Kallas stressed the importance of coordination between the EU naval operation Aspides in the Red Sea and the Saudi-led maritime coalition. The meeting also prepares the summit between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council on 24 October.
Ministers will also discuss how a larger Union affects security and defence, and will address Georgia under current affairs. An informal breakfast on countering foreign information manipulation and interference is planned before the meeting. On the sidelines, Sybiha also plans bilateral talks and meetings with Luxembourg officials. Europe ministers follow on Tuesday, and the EU summit begins in Brussels on Thursday.