European Union foreign ministers are convening in Luxembourg on Monday to deliberate on enhancing Ukraine’s air defenses and broadening sanctions against Iran.
While the ministers will address the conflict in Sudan, the primary focus will be on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, both of which are critical concerns for the 27-member bloc.
Over the weekend, Kyiv and its European allies received significant support when the US House of Representatives approved a package exceeding $60 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine. Despite this, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have been urging European countries to augment their own efforts in supplying arms to Ukraine, particularly focusing on air defense capabilities.
Following a video conference of NATO defense ministers with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Stoltenberg expressed anticipation of forthcoming announcements regarding support for Ukraine’s defense capabilities. He highlighted that NATO had identified existing capabilities across the alliance that could be made available to Ukraine, including systems like the Patriot and the French SAMP/T.
As of now, Germany is the sole EU member state to have committed to sending an additional Patriot system in response to Ukraine’s recent appeals.
In Monday’s discussions on Ukraine, foreign ministers will be joined by their defense counterparts and representatives from Ukraine’s foreign and defense ministries. The agenda will then shift to addressing the Middle East crisis, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel in October last year.
Regarding Iran, the ministers will deliberate on the extent of further sanctions in response to Tehran’s recent missile and drone attack on Israel. The EU already maintains various sanctions programs against Iran for activities related to weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and drone supply to Russia.
Last week, EU leaders agreed to impose additional sanctions on Iran. Many EU member states advocate for expanding the existing sanctions regime to encompass missiles and transfers to Iranian proxy forces in the Middle East. Additionally, discussions are underway on the possibility of imposing new sanctions related to missile production.
While some countries advocate for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force as a terrorist organization, officials note that they have not yet identified a legal basis for such a designation, and there is uncertainty regarding unanimous support among all EU members for this measure.
