On Monday, EU Foreign Ministers met in Luxembourg for the Foreign Affairs Council where the €1.6 billion in aid for Palestinians was announced. Luxembourgish Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel delved into bilateral talks with the Palestinian PM and Foreign Affairs Minister.

On Monday, EU Foreign Ministers met in Luxembourg for the Foreign Affairs Council. High up on the agenda lay the situation in the Middle East, culminating in the announcement of €1.6 billion in aid for Palestinians. This financial support will be destined for essential infrastructure and humanitarian aid. Another talking point was the war in Ukraine, and Luxembourgish Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel questioned Russia's commitment to peace.

Bettel was only able to attend the Foreign Affairs Council at 1pm, although it had begun early on Monday morning. Bettel had just arrived from the Osaka World Expo and held bilateral talks at the Luxembourg Foreign Affairs Ministry with representatives of North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

When asked whether the Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, which caused 30 casualties, is considered a war crime, Bettel stated that the entire war is unjustified. He emphasised that Ukrainians have proved their desire for peace, having done everything to get it, but that Russia has ignored that.

Bettel does not call for a severing of negotiations with Russia, but rather for the US to exert more pressure on Russia. He recounts a conversation he had a few days ago with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who said that President Trump was impatient in this regard. Bettel hopes that President Trump's impatience can bring something positive to the field, as Bettel described the recent attack as a unilateral action from Russia, which requires a strong US response.

Bettel did not give specifics about how the US response should be, but he stated that Luxembourg is open to additional sanctions against Russia. Regarding the use of frozen Russian assets, Bettel is more cautious, raising juridical concerns, as it is not clear who would provide for compensation for damage in case of doubt.

EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced €1.6 billion in financial support for Palestinians. This package is meant to support essential infrastructure and to provide humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees. In this context, Bettel stated that Luxembourg will continue to commit to peace in the Middle East, but he warned that a recognition of Palestine as a state would be useless without the necessary economic and political consequences of such a recognition.

Recounting his bilateral talks with the Palestinian PM and Foreign Affairs Minister, Bettel highlighted important talking points that were discussed, namely the importance of EU financial and political support to Palestinians, the organisation of a conference spearheaded by France and Saudi Arabia, and the ceasefire that the Palestinian government wishes to materialise in the next days. Bettel concluded by highlighting the "positive" message that Palestine has not been forgotten by the EU.

Watch the original report in Luxembourgish:

Xavier Bettel iwwer Reunioun mam palästinenseschen Aussen- a Premierminister
Déi palästinensesch Autoritéiten hoffen, datt en neie Waffestëllstand mat Israel an noer Zukunft a Kraaft trëtt, sou de Lëtzebuerger Ausseminister.