The Council welcomed President Poroshenko peace plan offer and his actions towards peace and stability in Ukraine since his inauguration. Pavlo KLIMKIN, the newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, attended the Council meeting to explain in details to his European colleagues the conditions of the peace plan and the evolution of the military situation on the ground.
EU ministers welcomed positive signs of dialogue between Ukrainian and Russian authorities at higher levels despite a further deteriorating situation on the ground. The Council expects the Russian Federation to effectively support the peace plan with concrete de-escalation measures. There is now a need to translate declarations into actions.
Russia needs to take measures to stop the flow of arms over the border into eastern Ukraine, and to use its influence on the separatists to stop the violence and lay down their arms.
Sanctions
The council assessed the preparatory work done by the Commission, EEAS and the member states on possible targeted measures, so that further steps can be taken if required and the situation on the ground further deteriorates.
Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission to Ukraine
The Council approved the concept for a mission under the EU's CSDP to assist Ukraine in the reform of the civilian security sector, police and the rule of law. The objective is to deploy the mission in the summer following a similar concept to the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).
Import of goods from Crimea
The Council took concrete measures to implement EU's non-recognition policy regarding the illegal annexation of Crimea. Import into the European Union of goods originating from Crimea or Sevastopol is prohibited with the exception of those having been granted a certificate of origin by the Ukrainian authorities.
Association Agreement with Ukraine
The Council adopted the final conclusions in order to be able to sign the AA/DFCTA with Ukraine in the margins of the European Council on 27 June. It also recalled the Commission's intention to engage in political level consultations with the Russian Federation on the implementation aspects of the agreement, in order to dispel Russian concerns about its possible effects.
Other topics on the agenda
Over lunch, ministers debated the latest developments in Iraq as well as related aspects of the Syrian crisis, in the presence of Nikolay Mladenov, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. They strongly condemned the attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other armed groups against Iraqi citizens. The Council is also seriously concerned about the humanitarian crisis and the massive displacement of civilians caused by the fighting.
In their conclusions, EU ministers expressed their deep concern over the repeated acts of violence in Libya, calling to refrain from the use of force and to address differences by peaceful political means in order to guarantee the holding of the parliamentary elections on 25 June.
The Council also discussed the situation in the Syrian conflict after the presidential elections as well as humanitarian aspects and the state of play in diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the crisis. Ministers welcomed the report that the last of Syria's declared chemical weapons have been shipped out of the country for destruction. However, in view of the gravity of the situation, the Council approved new sanctions against the Syrian regime.
Ministers are also concerned about the sentences pronounced against journalists in Egypt and the recent decision by the court to start the process of imposing death sentences against 14 leading figures from the Islamist movement.
