The European defence ministers, followed by their foreign affairs counterparts, meet in Toledo (Spain) on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August with an almost identical agenda, covering the war in Ukraine and the situation in Niger.
“This is a very important meeting, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. We want to discuss other issues, such as the situation in the Sahel following the coup d’état in Niger”, explained Spain’s acting Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, in a press release.
Toledo was not chosen by chance to host the meeting. The Toledo Infantry Academy trains Ukrainian soldiers. Of the 3,000 soldiers to be trained in Spain this year, almost 80% will be trained in Toledo.
On Wednesday, the defence ministers will discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine with the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, and the regional and global impact of this aggression with representatives of NATO and the United Nations.
The ministers could focus in particular on strengthening the ‘European Peace Facility’. They are expected to follow up the discussion held by foreign ministers at their EU Council meeting of 20 July (see EUROPE 13227/2) on the possibility of creating a specific section within the ‘European Peace Facility’ (EPF) to provide up to €5 billion a year over the next four years to meet Ukraine’s defence needs.
At the time of the discussion, the French minister, Catherine Colonna, said she had not heard any dissent, but Hungary remains cautious about the EPF. Budapest is still blocking an 8th instalment of €500 million from the Ukraine fund and, in a speech on 26 August, the Hungarian minister, Péter Szijjártó, said that since the start of the war, the Europeans had taken measures that have prolonged the war or contributed to the death of more people.
“We (Hungarians, editor’s note) have not done anything that could put anyone in the world in greater danger because of one of our actions. (...) And unfortunately, in Europe today, let’s put it euphemistically, not everyone can say that about themselves”, he stressed in a speech. According to him, “every weapon delivered to our neighbours means more deaths”. “That’s why I think it's time to talk clearly about it. We call on everyone to stop fuelling the risk of escalation and to stop sending arms to our neighbour, because this will only lead to unrest, which will only lead to more deaths”, added Mr Szijjártó.
On Thursday, the ministers will once again discuss Russian aggression, but more from a diplomatic angle, and in particular the Ukrainian peace formula and international diplomatic awareness of this war during the United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York at the end of September. They will hold further talks with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.
In July, Josep Borrell reaffirmed the EU’s support for Ukraine’s peace formula. “We believe that this is the only comprehensive basis for achieving a just and lasting peace. And on this point, Ukraine should be in the driver’s seat”, he explained. The EU, for its part, is ready to support Kyiv.
The High Representative of the Union wants to organise a meeting on this subject, at the highest level, in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (see EUROPE 13234/6).
Debate on the situation in Niger
The day after the meeting of the European defence ministers, the foreign affairs ministers will also be discussing the worrying situation in the Sahel, and in particular in Niger, the latest country to suffer a military coup on 26 July, after Mali and Burkina Faso.
Prospects are dimming that the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, will be reinstated, as demanded by the EU and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) in this African country which the EU considered to be a key strategic partner for the stabilisation of the Sahel and for energy supplies, before the military coup changed all that (see EUROPE 13053/17). Niger was also a key EU partner for migration management.
The ministers are expected to discuss the growing risks of destabilisation in the Sahel and the latest developments in the Niger crisis. On Friday 25 August, ECOWAS, which had threatened to intervene militarily, considered that this option was still open, with its force on standby. This option is opposed by Algeria, and Burkina Faso and Mali consider it to be “a declaration of war”.
The ministers are expected to express their support for the French ambassador whose departure from Niamey is being refused by the Élysée Palace, without complying with the request made on 25 August by the Niger Ministry of Foreign Affairs for him to leave Niger within 48 hours (see other news).
They could discuss possible sanctions against the putschists, with the EU not recognising their legitimacy as head of the country (see EUROPE 13234/24). The EU supports the economic and financial blockade imposed by ECOWAS on Niger and has suspended all military cooperation and development aid to the country, while continuing to provide humanitarian aid (see EUROPE 13236/6).
On Tuesday 29 August, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed his “deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian outlook in Niger” referring in particular to the repeated attacks by non-state armed groups that are continuing, particularly near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, and the ECOWAS sanctions in this poor country that hosts many Libyan refugees.
“Food and commodity prices, already climbing before this crisis, jumped after sanctions were introduced and appear set to continue rising as the closure of borders with ECOWAS countries will make food and other commodities scarcer”, warned the UNHCR representative in Niamey, Emmanuel Gignac, in a statement. He called for rapid humanitarian action. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Aminata Niang)