He spoke this way after the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council, where discussions were held about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and the Sahel region.
“Due to the insufficient amount of ammunition, Ukraine is forced to retreat. Finally, Europe may also face threats that test NATO’s strength. Such an approach cannot be called pessimistic – it is already a reality”, G. Landsbergis is quoted in the MFA report.
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian defense forces have been plagued by shortages of ammunition and personnel.
The Russians resumed their offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine and forced Ukrainian forces to hastily withdraw from the town of Avdiyivka in the eastern Donetsk region, securing their first major victory since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the capture of Avdiyivka as a major victory for his troops, days before February 24, the two-year anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion.
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, also spoke at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Navalny, 47, died on Friday at an Arctic correctional facility where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges that independent rights groups and Western countries have denounced as retaliation for opposition to the Kremlin.
According to G. Landsberg, it is necessary to adopt the 13th package of sanctions as soon as possible and immediately start preparing a new package, through strong sectoral sanctions aimed at preventing the circumvention of sanctions and further limiting the capabilities of the Russian war machine.
The Council discussed the situation in the Middle East region, the need to seek the release of Hamas hostages, discussed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and, together with the United Nations Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag, talked about practical opportunities to speed up the provision of humanitarian aid.
The EU’s ASPIDES operation, designed to protect freedom of navigation from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, was also launched at the Council, and the EU’s special representative for the Middle East peace process, Sven Koopmans, presented information on discussions with international partners in order to prepare a comprehensive peace plan.
In this meeting, the conclusions of the Council regarding Belarus were thus approved.
The Council of Foreign Affairs consists of the ministers of foreign affairs of all EU member states.
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2024-05-10 05:05:48