European Union foreign ministers discussed support for Ukraine

Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets attended the informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers (Gymnich) on 13 and 14 January in Brest, France, discussing the security situation in Europe and EU-China relations. The first day of the meeting included a joint discussion with defence ministers on the Strategic Compass of the European Union, aimed at improving preparedness for future crises.

"On the topic of security in Europe, the situation on Ukraine's borders is obviously the most pressing issue, with no de-escalation in sight. The foreign ministers of member states strongly believe that the European Union must find more ways of helping Ukraine, for example by opening the European market to a greater number of their goods and contributing to cybersecurity and digital systems," Foreign Minister Liimets said.

"If Russia is serious about improving the security situation in Europe, the first precondition would be for it to withdraw its troops from Ukraine's borders. Every independent country has the indisputable right to decide its own future and make its foreign and security policy decisions accordingly. This is why the European Union is prepared to respond to Russia with strong countermeasures, including economic sanctions, in case of a military attack on Ukraine," Liimets added.

Minister Liimets noted that in addition to a military threat, Ukraine also faced a massive cyberattack against its government institutions on 14 January. "The European Union and Estonia are ready to offer every help to Ukraine to deal with the consequences of the attack and increase preparedness in the future by bringing in our cyber experts and sharing our experiences."

Talking about the relations of the European Union and China, the foreign minister underlined that in its approach to China, the European Union must concentrate on democratic values that underpin the union. "The European Union must have consistent dialogue with China on various issues. For example, moving forward with the protection of investments is important for European economy but we must also have discussions on topics like human rights and economic pressure, and address climate change and cooperation on health. Member states must be unified in their approach and messages. This is why Estonia believes there is a great need for meeting in the 27+1 format in addition to the EU-China summit," Foreign Minister Liimets said.

At the discussion on the Strategic Compass, the foreign minister said Estonia considered completing the first strategic security document of the European Union crucial as the member states should have a common perception of the security threats around Europe and how to respond to them. "The security of European Union states mainly depends on the security of our immediate neighbourhood and it must be reinforced in the east as well as south. The strategy must be in line with threat assessments, thorough and provide solid instruments for the European Union to address real threats," Foreign Minister Liimets underlined.

Gymnich is the informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers, held twice a year in the country holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The presidency is currently held by France.

Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
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