On the evening of Wednesday 17 September, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas highlighted the EU’s concerns about the joint strategic military exercise ZAPAD-2025, which took place from 12 to 16 September on the territories of Belarus and Russia for the first time since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, on 24 February 2022. The four-yearly exercise took place on 41 training grounds and involved 100,000 military personnel and around 10,000 weapons systems and military equipment.
“In light of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and following the repeated violation of the airspace of our Member States by Russian drones, a drill such as ZAPAD-2025 does not demonstrate a commitment to de-escalation and peace”, stressed Ms Kallas in a statement on behalf of the EU. She considered that the military participation of other countries in the exercise, in the context of the war, constituted a “serious security concern” for the EU. India took part in ZAPAD and an US representative observed the exercise.
Expecting Russia and Belarus to comply fully with their international commitments, in particular the OSCE’s 2011 Vienna Document, the High Representative warned that the EU would remain vigilant of any potential security threats surrounding ZAPAD-2025. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)