EU Foreign Affairs Ministers informally met via video conference, and held a discussion on further measures to be adopted in response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
This is a historical moment because this is the first time since the end of the second world war that a military power invades another sovereign state in violation of international law. Secondly because Europeans have reacted in a way that have surprised a lot of people, starting with the Russians themselves.
Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Ministers gave the political green light to a new set of measures, which are due to cover various strands of action:
- EU support to the Ukrainian armed forces through the European Peace Facility
- further individual and economic sanctions, covering among others the closing of EU airspace to Russian aircrafts, the SWIFT financial messaging system, and the resources of the Russian Central Bank
- diplomatic engagement in order to work towards the international condemnation and isolations of Russia
- measures to support Ukraine and the region
- initiatives to counter disinformation, including the prohibition for state-owned media Russia Today and Sputnik to broadcast in the EU.
These decisions will now need to be finalised through relevant legal acts.
- Urgent assistance to Ukraine: High Representative Josep Borrell convenes extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers (European External Action Service)
- EU relations with Ukraine (background information)
- EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine (background information)
Meeting information
- Meeting n°270222FAC
- 27 February 2022
- 18:00
Preparatory documents
Outcome documents