(L-R): Kaja Kallas, VP of the European Commission; Deputy PM Xavier Bettel; Helen McEntee, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland; Credit: MAE

On Wednesday 2 September 2026, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Xavier Bettel, participated in the informal Foreign Affairs Council (Gymnich), held in Wicklow, under the Irish Presidency of the EU Council. 

The EU foreign ministers were joined by their counterparts from the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Iceland and Ukraine for discussions on Ukraine.

The ministers discussed continued support for Ukraine and the need to increase pressure on Russia, given its lack of willingness to de-escalate. According to the meeting, the recent hybrid attacks targeting several EU Member States are a worrying development.

The ministers also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, including the ongoing humanitarian and security challenges. Minister Bettel stressed the need for the European Union to act in a united and resolute manner, particularly in the face of the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Finally, the ministers discussed ways to strengthen and make the European Union's external action more effective in a rapidly changing world marked by increasing geopolitical competition and a questioning of the multilateral system.