<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, chaired her first Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on Monday, which approved the fifteenth package of sanctions against Russia, discussed EU military support for Ukraine and addressed the situation in Georgia. In addition, Kallas announced that the head of the EU delegation in Syria has travelled to Damascus to contact the new authorities in the country and warned against interference by Russia and Iran in Syria.</strong></h4> The Foreign Affairs Council discussed Russian aggression against Ukraine, following the intervention of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, who informed his EU counterparts about the latest developments on the ground and the most urgent needs of Ukraine. The Council then adopted the fifteenth package of individual and economic restrictive measures in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine. “Today we have adopted the 15th package of sanctions against Russia. This round targets the shadow fleet and North Korean officials and, for the first time, also Chinese companies that manufacture drones for Moscow,” Kallas said at the final press conference. “Our message is very clear: you cannot fuel a war in Europe and get away with it,” she added. The Council then discussed EU military support for Ukraine, with the High Representative stressing the need to step up cooperation, especially on munitions, air defences and more general support for the Ukrainian defence industry. “Ukraine needs our support on the battlefield. The stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they will be behind the negotiating table as well. Not only to hold on, but to tip the balance in their favour, because Putin will not stop unless we stop him,” warned Kallas, who also reminded EU ministers of the needs related to winter preparation. In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured journalists upon his arrival at the Council that the possibility of sending European troops to control a future ceasefire in Ukraine is not currently being discussed. “We are in the realm of speculation. It is not a debate at the moment among Europeans,” he said. “It is not something that Spain is considering,” he added. Kaja Kallas herself warned before the Council that, in order for the possibility of sending a “peacekeeping mission” to arise, first “there must be peace” and “Russia does not want peace, that is clear.” French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on Monday on his proposal to deploy troops in some areas of Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security while it advances in its process of joining NATO. <h5><strong>Georgia</strong></h5> The Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on recent developments in Georgia and their impact on the Georgian people and Georgia’s European path, following the government’s announcement on 28 November of its intention to suspend the country’s EU accession process until 2028, the subsequent mass protests and increasing acts of violence against protesters, the media and the political opposition. The High Representative stressed that the EU has reduced political contacts and cut funding to the Georgian government, and announced that there was a political agreement to go ahead with the imposition of visa restrictions on Georgian diplomats and government officials due to the recent crackdown on opposition protesters. The Council agreed that, going forward, the EU will continue to support the Georgian people, including by redirecting funding from the authorities towards civil society and independent media. For his part, Albares expressed her wish to see Georgia return “very soon, as soon as possible”, to the European path. “I deeply regret that Georgia has decided to halt its path towards the European family and the European Union. I hope that it will return to that path very soon, as soon as possible,” he said. <h5><strong>Situation in the Middle East, including Syria</strong></h5> Regarding the latest developments in Syria, the High Representative briefed EU ministers on her participation in an international meeting organised by the Kingdom of Jordan, where she met with the foreign ministers of Arab countries, as well as those of Turkey and the United States, to discuss the basic principles of engagement with the new Syrian leadership. The High Representative also announced that the head of the EU delegation in Syria, currently based in Lebanon, has travelled to Damascus to establish contacts with the new authorities in the country and to convey EU messages. The Council debate highlighted the EU's agreement on the principles of Syria's territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, as well as accountability, inclusiveness, respect for minorities and women's rights. Ministers confirmed that the transition process must be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, and reflect the Syrian people in all their diversity. “Extremism, Russia and Iran should have no place in Syria’s future,” Kaja Kallas warned at the press conference. She also recalled that the European Union remains the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, as evidenced by the air bridge established by the EU immediately after the fall of the regime, which provided 100 tons of humanitarian aid to support health, education and accommodation. The EU will organize the ninth Brussels-Syria Conference in 2025 to support the Syrian people during the transition. For his part, José Manuel Albares announced that the chargé d’affaires of the Spanish Embassy in Damascus will return “this week” to his post in the Syrian capital and confirmed the upcoming appointment of a “special envoy” to this country with the mission of “transferring clear red lines” to the new authorities that emerged from the overthrow of the Bashar al Assad regime. Among the “red lines” mentioned, Albares mentioned “that the future of Syria be a peaceful future, that what is today a military movement be converted into a political movement (in reference to Hayat Tahrir al Sham, the jihadist armed group that led the overthrow of Al Assad) and that it be an inclusive future with scrupulous respect for ethnic and religious minorities.” He also defended the territorial integrity of Syria, avoiding the division of the country “in the hands of different armed groups” and that “external interference” that could aggravate “instability and insecurity” in Syria be avoided. The Council then discussed the more general developments in the Middle East and Gaza and the ministers reiterated their call for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the delivery of sufficient and unhindered humanitarian aid. They also confirmed their support for a two-state solution. The High Representative announced that she will propose holding an Association Council with Israel as soon as possible, to be followed by a first high-level dialogue with the Palestinian Authority.
