Interviewed at the doorstep before today’s EU Foreign Council Meeting, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski said that the Viktor Orban’s ruling-party in Hungary has used state media to create an atmosphere of hostility against Ukraine and is exploiting this atmosphere for the upcoming elections. Poland’s Foreign Minister also said that the the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio convinced Hungary not to veto one of the previous EU sanctions packages against Russia.
The US Secretary of State is taking a much more pro-European stance compared to his other colleagues in the US government cabinet.
Hungary is expected to veto the EU’s proposed 20th sanctions package against Russia.
Spain said that the
Gaza Peace Board is not effectively bringing peace and it does not believe it is the right format to fulfill the two State-Solution given that the Palestinian Authority is not a member. Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares said that the ceasefire agreement has been violated systematically by Israel. Spain is also supporting the EU’s initiative that supports the Palestinian Authority with policing and security and the Minister said that Spain has also members of the Guardia Civil at the Rafah crossing to coordinate the flow of aid.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that tomorrow the Coalition of the Willing will be meeting in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Russia is opposing
the deployment of French and British troops in Ukraine as a security guarantee in the event of a peace deal. The French Foreign Minister has reiterated France’s position that it is fully in favour of the proposed 20th sanctions package to clamp down on Russia’s Shadow Fleet multi-dimensionally. He also said that France also favours military intervention to curb the illegalities of this fleet. France
seized a Russian oil tanker last month.
Talks with Russia on Ukraine are currently not productive with Russia insisting on its maximalist demands.
The French Foreign Minister also said that France is willing to support the Lebanese government achieve monopoly over security in Lebanon while ensuring the security of all communities.
The EU Council meeting is underway.
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