At the beginning of the first meeting this year in Luxembourg, the ministers discussed military support to Ukraine. In addition to the foreign ministers, the defence ministers of the EU member states were also invited to attend. Daniel Blažkovec, Deputy Minister of Defence, was present for the Czechia. The Ukrainian foreign and defence ministers also joined via videoconference. The Czech diplomatic chief appreciated the broad response to the Czech munitions initiative. Thanks to contributions from a number of countries, Ukraine will receive the necessary ammunition supplies in the coming months. In view of the massive Russian attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in particular, the assistance of the EU and its Member States in a number of other areas is crucial, particularly in the context of air defence. "We must do everything we can to stop Russian imperialism. Czechia is one of the driving forces in support of Ukraine thanks to the Ammunition Initiative, through which we have already secured 500,000 munitions. But it is also important to focus on defending Ukrainian airspace, through which Russia is carrying out barbaric attacks on energy infrastructure," said Minister Lipavský.

Czechia also confirmed its support for President Zelensky's peace plan. Last week, a successful meeting of the working group on radiation and nuclear safety, one of the ten themes of the peace plan, took place in Prague. Minister Lipavský also supported further sanctions against Russia and the use of proceeds from immobilised Russian assets for military support in Ukraine.

The next item on the agenda was a discussion on the situation in the Middle East. The recent unprecedented and large-scale Iranian attack on Israel requires an adequate response from the EU. At the meeting, Minister Lipavský therefore supported the extension of both the sectoral and geographical scope of the EU sanctions regime against Iran. Czechia also stressed the need for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas members in Gaza. The European diplomatic chiefs also addressed the ongoing critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Here, achieving a humanitarian pause and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population is crucial.

The meeting was concluded with a discussion on the situation in Sudan. The conflict in Sudan has led to the largest refugee crisis of our time, with an estimated 11 million displaced and internally displaced persons. More than 17 million people are at risk of famine. EU foreign ministers praised the €2.1 billion humanitarian aid pledge that resulted from the international humanitarian conference on Sudan in Paris on 15 April. Czechia expressed its support for all efforts to broker a ceasefire and for the adoption of new sanctions against entities on both sides of the conflict.

Minister Lipavský Spoke at the April EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg

Minister Lipavský Spoke at the April EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg On Monday, 22 April 2024, the Foreign Ministers of the EU Member States met in Luxembourg for the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). The Czech delegation was

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