Meinl-Reisinger Calls for a Defensible EU and Criticism of U.S. Peace Plan
During her meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels and on Austrian radio-televison, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) called for a stronger, defensible, and geopolitically capable European Union.
Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger is very active and is also calling for action to be taken with regard to Ukraine and Europe's security. / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Michael Gruber / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
The EU Foreign Affairs Council focused on current developments in Ukraine and the Middle East. The minister emphasized the need to further increase pressure on Russia, in particular by tightening sanctions against the so-called “shadow fleet”. At the same time, efforts to achieve comprehensive and lasting peace must be intensified, as the minister said on ORF's “Pressestunde” program.
War in Ukraine and controversial US peace plan
The recent talks in Geneva on U.S. President Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine raised questions about Europe's role in geopolitics. Meinl-Reisinger warned that the EU was becoming a “pawn in world history.”She argued that the EU should quickly put together a high-level delegation to represent European interests in Geneva. She suggested Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who currently also holds the OSCE chairmanship, as a possible head of delegation. Alternatively, she named EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen or EU Council President Antonio Costa.
Meinl-Reisinger described the US peace plan itself as partly “grotesque", as the minister said on ORF's “Pressestunde” program. She criticized the fact that the US, as a NATO member, is acting as a mediator between Russia and NATO. In fact, the plan also drew considerable criticism from other European partners. It demands far-reaching concessions from Ukraine, such as the cession of areas still under its control and a reduction in its military capabilities, while accommodating Russia. The E3 countries (France, Germany, and the UK) and other partners rejected the plan on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg and sent a heavily revised version to the US government.EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that Ukraine's borders must not be changed by force and that the country must decide its own fate.
EU defense capability and neutrality
In view of the global security situation, particularly concerning the US as an increasingly unreliable partner, the minister called for independent defense capabilities for Europe. “Until that happens, we will be kicked around,” Meinl-Reisinger said on ORF's “Pressestunde” program.
She once again spoke out in favor of abolishing the unanimity principle in EU foreign policy to make Europe more capable of action. As an EU member, Austria is not politically “neutral” in the Ukraine war. She distinguished between perpetual neutrality, which excludes military alliances and foreign troops on Austrian soil, and “neutralism,” thereby indirectly criticizing the FPÖ.
Middle East, Sahel, and Sudan
With regard to the Middle East, Meinl-Reisinger welcomed the Security Council mandate for the Gaza peace plan. The top priority now is to implement the plan and take advantage of the “window of opportunity for a just and lasting peace” that remains open. Austria wants to participate in an established international coordination center (Civilian Military Cooperation Center).
Another topic at the RAB was the situation in the Sahel and Sudan. The minister expressed her shock at the reports from El Fasher in Sudan and called for the protection of the civilian population and humanitarian access to be given top priority. In the Sahel, she said, it was important to keep the channels of communication open despite the difficult situation and to counteract disinformation by Russia.