(L-R) Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade; Artjoms Uršuļskis, Latvian Parliamentary Secretary, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
Credit: MAE Luxembourg
On Tuesday 16 December 2025, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, participated in the meeting of the European Union’s (EU) General Affairs Council (GAC), held in Brussels, Belgium.
According to Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, during the discussion on preparations for the European Council of Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December 2025, Minister Bettel addressed several topics on the agenda, such as the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the next multiannual financial framework, as well as EU enlargement.
Regarding the Russian aggression and the EU’s support for Ukraine, Minister Bettel reaffirmed Luxembourg’s continued support for Ukraine. He stressed that Luxembourg is open to different options to guarantee this support, while underlining that decisions taken at EU level must be legally sound and that resulting commitments must be assumed collectively by all Member States.
Ahead of the GAC, Minister Bettel also represented the Benelux countries at the 24th Intergovernmental Conference with Montenegro, which resulted in the closure of five chapters relating to the EU legal framework.
EO
