At a meeting on Russia’s war against Ukraine, EU foreign ministers were briefly joined by the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, via video call. Minister Lipavsky condemned the barbaric Russian attack on a children’s hospital in Kiev and called for an increase in Ukraine’s defence capabilities. “I informed about the measures to not recognize Russian non-biometric passports because they are easily forged and we do not want to make the work of Russian spies easier,” said Jan Lipavský. The ministers reiterated their support for President Zelensky’s peace plan, which alone is in line with the UN Charter and can ensure a just and lasting peace. They stressed the need to communicate diligently with third countries on this issue.
“We also discussed peace in Ukraine. On behalf of Czechia, I said that we support President Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan,” the Czech diplomatic chief said, stressing the need to strengthen sanctions against Russia, to ensure full alignment of sanctions against Belarus and to fight against various ways of circumventing them. Minister Lipavský also informed the Council about the security measure under which Czechia has not recognised Russian non-biometric passports since 3 July.
The next item on the agenda was a lunch with Nadia Calvino, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), during which the Ministers discussed in particular support for the defence industry and the EIB’s role in establishing global strategic partnerships.
EU ministers then focused on the situation in the Middle East. Czechia reiterates its support for the issue of Israeli hostages, who must be released immediately and unconditionally. This is one of the main points of President Biden’s plan, the implementation of which Czechia fully supports. It is essential to prevent the escalation and spread of the conflict in the region. Czechia therefore supports EU initiatives to strengthen the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The ministers also discussed the EUBAM Rafah mission. There was consensus on its renewal after the political and security conditions had been met.
On current issues, the foreign ministers discussed the topic of digital diplomacy.

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