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Europe as part of the solution in Ukraine: together with his colleagues in the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Foreign Minister Wadephul to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart in Warsaw
Baltic Sea coast, Germany © picture alliance / Zoonar
How Europe can support Ukraine this winter, secure its influence on potential peace negotiations and better protect itself from hybrid threats are the questions dominating the talks Foreign Minister Wadephul is having in Warsaw with his colleagues from the Baltic Sea States and Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Wadephul is meeting the Foreign Ministers of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw today to talk about further support for Ukraine, Europe’s role in potential peace negotiations and the growing security threats facing the Baltic Sea region. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will also be at the table.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine directly affects the security of the whole of Europe. Germany is therefore working to ensure that Ukraine is included in all talks about its future and that European security interests – represented by Europe itself – are taken into account in potential negotiations. At the same time, pressure on Russia needs to be kept up until Moscow is prepared to agree to a ceasefire and enter into serious negotiations on lasting peace.
Prior to his departure, Foreign Minister Wadephul said:
It is a question of war or peace: The future of our coexistence in Europe is being decided in Ukraine. Therefore, Europe must be an integral part of finding a solution in Ukraine.
Support for Ukraine: Preparing for winter
The talks will focus on providing Ukraine with further support as the country approaches its fifth winter at war. Russia is targeting energy supplies and civilian infrastructure to wear down the Ukrainian people and disrupt supplies of electricity and heat.
Germany is therefore helping Ukraine secure its energy supplies and providing humanitarian assistance. Together with European partners, the priority is to ensure that people in Ukraine survive the winter and that the country remains able to defend itself. Fair burden-sharing between all European partners is key here.
Hybrid threats: Strengthening Europe’s resilience
Alongside the war in Ukraine, the threats to security within Europe are also increasing. A number of unexplained bomb threats against aircraft in Europe, cyberattacks on supermarkets causing millions of euros of damage, drone incidents on land and at sea, in addition to attempts to influence elections and increasingly intensive disinformation, all show how diverse these so-called hybrid threats have now become.
As Foreign Minister Wadephul commented:
We take these threats very seriously and are responding to them. For they aim to unsettle us as a society, to undermine trust in our institutions – and to make us lose our sense of proportion and moderation. This too will not succeed, because we stand together in the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the EU and NATO.
Security in the Baltic Sea: working together to tackle Russia’s shadow fleet
Above all in the Baltic Sea region, hybrid threats are becoming more frequent, making security in this region one of the priorities of the meeting in Warsaw. In particular Russia’s shadow fleet poses a threat to the security of shipping routes and to our environment, and is time and again causing damage to critical infrastructure. Furthermore, the tankers are serving to circumvent sanctions and secure income from the Russian oil business which Moscow is using to finance its war of aggression.
Together with his colleagues from the Baltic Sea states, Foreign Minister Wadephul is therefore committed to take even more resolute action to tackle the shadow fleet.