EU Leaders to Focus on Middle East Rather than Ukraine at Summit, Politico Reports

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East will compete for the attention of EU leaders at this week’s summit, according to Politico. The publication states that the conflict between Iran and Israel is likely to attract greater attention, despite the EU’s limited influence in the region.

As noted by Politico, the EU wants to present itself as a global power that can influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. EU leaders will attempt to persuade Israel not to commence a large-scale war against Iran and will call for avoiding escalation in Lebanon. Some European countries will advocate for the implementation of new anti-Iranian sanctions.

“We are working to strengthen sanctions against Iran, but we must be realistic about what we can achieve in the region,” an EU diplomat told Politico.

According to the publication, some allies of Ukraine have raised concerns about double standards after Israel's repulsion of the Iranian attack and questioned why the West cannot undertake the same commitments to defend Ukraine. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis highlighted in an interview with Politico that during Iran’s assault, some Western allies contributed to Israel's air defense.

“Kyiv has been requesting the same defense from that group of countries for over two years,” he noted.

As Politico points out, high-ranking diplomats and EU officials maintain that Ukraine remains a key topic for European leaders and will not be overshadowed by the conflict between Iran and Israel.