On Monday, EU foreign ministers convened in Brussels to discuss a range of pressing issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and China.
Ahead of the meeting, Finland's Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, issued a stark warning. Valtonen, a member of the National Coalition Party, assessed that Russia is likely to become increasingly aggressive towards European countries in the coming years, going so far as to describe it as an "existential threat to all of Europe."
"Russia's stance towards Europe will become more aggressive in the coming years. We must prepare for Russia to pose a long-term and even existential threat to all of Europe," Valtonen stated, according to Svenska Yle.
Also read
Warning of a Frozen Conflict
Finland's Foreign Minister also warned of a scenario where the war in Ukraine evolves into a "frozen conflict," which could reignite at any moment.
"We would be back to the situation we were in a few years ago. Russia has been waging war against Ukraine for ten years," she said, referring to Russia's occupation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Sanctions Against Israeli Settlers
The war between Israel and Hamas was a major topic of discussion at Monday's meeting in the Belgian capital. The EU ministers reached a "political agreement" that includes sanctions against Israeli settlers, as announced by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell, after the meeting.
"We discussed the sanctions (against) Hamas. And we agreed on sanctions against extremist settlers. It was not possible to reach an agreement last time we met. This time it was possible. We have agreed on a solid compromise, and I now hope that this will be implemented," he said, according to Euronews.
Discussions on sanctions against Israeli settlers have been ongoing for several months. A handful of countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, had previously opposed sanctions but now appear to have changed their stance.
"The sanctions are about specific individuals who have been identified as responsible for violent acts," Josep Borell emphasized.
