The European Foreign Ministers agreed on 10 guiding principles and “foundations for a strong and united European position” on the European security situation at their informal meeting (Gymnich) in Brest (France) on Friday 14 January.
In front of the media, at the end of the three-hour discussion on the situation in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, presented these principles, which he dubbed the “Brest Decalogue”.
Mr Borrell began by recalling that Europeans would respect the main principles underlying European security: the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris.
The EU27 also reaffirm their solidarity with Ukraine and Eastern partner countries, supporting mechanisms for peaceful conflict resolution.
Similarly, the Ministers made a “strong and determined” appeal to Russia for appeasement, while reaffirming their commitment to respond to any additional Russian attack, which would have “massive consequences and severe costs, including restrictive measures” adopted in coordination with the Union’s partners. The Europeans also commit themselves to continue the preparation of additional sanctions in close cooperation with like-minded partners.
Similarly, the EU Ministers agreed to continue to cooperate with the US and NATO before and after each of their meetings with Moscow. Mr Borrell even announced increased coordination with the US, NATO and the OSCE.
The Ministers also underlined their willingness to engage in a mechanism to enhance the transparency and predictability of military activities and in confidence building measures.
Finally, the High Representative said that Member States supported the resumption of work on disarmament and arms control, but added that the EU had no jurisdiction in these areas.
Mr Borrell also recalled that the EU was generally in favour of dialogue with Russia, but “never at the expense of our freedom, sovereignty and independence, and respect for fundamental values”. According to the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the EU27 agreed to “pursue a demanding dialogue with Russia, provided that the parameters for discussions are shared and not in the form of an ultimatum”.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit Kiev on Monday and Moscow on Tuesday, and is expected to make a joint visit to Ukraine with Mr Le Drian, possibly in early February, according to a French source. Germany and France are trying to relaunch discussions in the Normandy format.
EU offers help to Ukraine after cyber attack
Europeans also offered their support to Ukraine after a cyber attack on several Ukrainian government websites on Friday 14 January.
“Such actions aim to destabilise the Ukrainians and contribute to a further escalation of an already tense situation”, Mr Borrell denounced. He promised that the EU would mobilise all its resources to help Kiev, if it requested such support.
An emergency meeting of EU Member States’ ambassadors in the Political and Military Committee was also convened to discuss how the EU could respond and provide technical assistance to Ukraine.
The EU intends to help Kiev increase its resilience to such attacks. The day before the attack, the High Representative recalled that the EU has an advisory mission in the country, which helps build resilience to hybrid attacks, and that the Union is preparing to send a mission to help Ukrainians deal with cyber attacks, “one of the risks they will face”.
Speaking to the media, Mr Borrell explained that the Member States participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project on the Cyber Rapid Response Teams, even though Ukraine is not a member of the EU or PESCO, were ready to deploy assets, if necessary.
According to a diplomatic source, the EU will send a person to Ukraine to assist the country in its investigation to find those responsible for the attack. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Europeans suspect Russia. Mr Borrell did not want to name any culprits. There is “no proof”, but “we can imagine” who it is, he stressed. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod explained that he would not be “surprised” if the attack came from Moscow. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)