“19 November sees 1000 days since Russia began the war of aggression against Ukraine. The European Union needs to do more, so that Ukraine can win. Ukraine urgently needs more support in the military, humanitarian and energy sector. We also need to take stronger action against countries that support Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine and continue to do away with the circumvention of sanctions imposed by the EU,” urged the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Melbārde, at the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) in Brussels, on 18 November.
EU Foreign Ministers were addressed, via videoconference, by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, who brief them about the current situation in the country 1000 days into the war. He highlighted the need to support the Ukrainian energy sector suffering severe damage from Russian attacks; he also called for support for Ukraine’s military industry in order to ensure the necessary military resources.
The Parliamentary Secretary condemned in the strongest terms support by third countries for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: “Such actions affect the security of the whole of Europe and call for a strong EU response, including more robust sanctions. Thereby, we also support the restrictive measures against Iran, which today, on 18 November, have been approved by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in view of Iran’s military support for Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, and for armed groupings in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.”
“Sanctions pressure on Russia must be strengthened and the next round of sanctions must be approved later this year. Latvia is also working on sanctions proposals and, in our opinion, focus should be placed on Russia’s energy, financial and trade sectors, as well as its propaganda machine. The EU must also urgently approve the first round of sanctions to tackle Russia’s hybrid threat,” Dace Melbārde noted.
“Broader restrictive measures against ‘shadow fleet’ vessels are essential. It is also necessary, both within the EU itself and in cooperation with like-minded partners, to prevent the circumvention of sanctions, including by actively targeting third countries involved in the sanction circumvention. Only a united and consistent EU action can constrain Russia,” Parliamentary Secretary Melbārde underlined.
As regards the ‘shadow fleet’, Dace Melbārde informed the EU Foreign Ministers that at the meeting held from 13 to 15 November, experts from Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom affirmed their shared commitment to work collectively to confront the environmental, maritime safety and security risks posed by the ‘shadow fleet’, in particular to all coastal states.
Dace Melbārde emphasised that all the assistance we provide to Ukraine is crucial for the security of Europe as a whole. “Special support is needed for the Ukrainian military industry through channelling windfall profits from generated by immobilised assets of the Central Bank of Russia towards this aim. Strong Ukraine is a strong Europe,” noted Dace Melbārde.
Referring to Ukraine’s European integration, Dace Melbārde noted that “Latvia welcomes progress made by Ukraine towards its integration into the EU and will continue to provide all the necessary support in future.”
The EU Foreign Affairs Council also discussed the situation in Georgia following the parliamentary elections held on 26 October. “Regrettably, we see that Georgia course of integration into the EU has actually been thwarted. At the same time, it is important to keep the EU’s doors open for Georgia and to provide support to Georgian society and its EU aspirations,” said Dace Melbārde.
EU Foreign Ministers also held an informal exchange on future cooperation between the EU and the United States. Dace Melbārde noted that “the EU and the U.S. are long-term strategic partners linked by shared values and interests. Transatlantic security and continued support to Ukraine are essential priorities in the dialogue with the U.S.”
EU Foreign Ministers then discussed latest developments and further measures to be taken to defuse the crisis in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa – Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.
For the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who has held the office since 2019, this was the last EU Foreign Affairs Council under his chairmanship.
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