Many questions have been raised ahead of the council meeting due to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who recently warned China from supplying arms to Russia.
In conversation with German media, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn affirmed on Monday morning that a Chinese arms supply would represent an entirely new scenario. He hopes that China will not commit this “mistake”.
Up until now, China is said to have abstained from speaking up at the United Nations or from providing weapons. “I hope it stays that way”, said Minister Asselborn.
In case China changes its course of action, then sanctions against the country have to be discussed, the LSAP politician argued. He believes China to be one of the major winners of the war in Ukraine, as it has led to Russia “giving itself up” entirely to China.
Minister Asselborn believes that President Putin will only abandon the conflict if he sees that the will of Ukrainians cannot be broken. He elaborated that sanctions against Russia have not been put in place to economically hurt its people, but to take away Putin’s means of carrying on with the war.
The goal is to start peace negotiations, said Minister Asselborn.
China is scheduled to present a peace plan on Friday. “The credibility of this plan will depend on whether China will indeed supply arms to Russia for the war in Ukraine”, noted Luxembourg’s Foreign Affairs Minister.
When asked about sanctions against the Iranian regime, Minister Asselborn announced that they will be extended to also include judges, prison employees, and members of parliament.
However, he explained that it is not possible from a legal standpoint to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the EU sanctions list, as some people here in Luxembourg have previously demanded.
Still, the EU will hold on to its policy of pressuring the Iranian regime with sanctions, emphasised the LSAP Minister. Seven Iranian companies, one of which supplied drones to Russia, will also be added to the Union’s sanction list, Asselborn concluded.
