On Monday in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) 27 member states are set to convene to discuss the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the upcoming Venezuelan elections, and Georgia’s new “Foreign Agents Law.”
The ministers will explore ways to support Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion, including the use of profits from frozen Russian assets within the EU to fund military aid.
This decision was finalized last Tuesday by the EU finance ministers, allowing the use of asset profits—not the assets themselves—for Ukraine’s military self-defence and reconstruction, as announced on the Belgian government’s X account, which is presiding over the talks.
Additionally, the foreign ministers will discuss further sanctions against Russia, an EU diplomat reported.
To date, the EU has imposed 13 rounds of sanctions on Russia since the onset of the Ukraine war in February 2022.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is expected to brief the ministers on the war’s progress via video conference at the start of the meeting.
Other topics on the agenda include tensions in the Middle East and the conflict in Gaza.
The EU foreign ministers will also hold informal talks with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
The Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people and hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris.
Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that women and children covered most of the dead and dozens of wounded.
The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month.
