Prime Minister Xavier Bettel;
Credit: SIP / Yves Kortum
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel held a press conference on Thursday morning on the subject of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The press conference followed an extraordinary Government Council meeting which addressed the situation in Ukraine, as well as a potential energy crisis.
The Prime Minister noted that the European Union (EU) had “reacted very quickly” and introduced a first package of sanctions (individual and financial) on Wednesday. He added that the EU was prepared to take further action. He will meet his European counterparts in Brussels on Thursday evening.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel stressed that the number one priority was keeping civilians safe. “Often the civil population pays too high a price in military agression”, he remarked. The EU has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to this military agression immediately.
Regarding potential consequences on energy supply and rising energy prices, Mr Bettel confirmed that the government would meet with energy providers in Luxembourg next Monday to find solutions.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister added that he will also discuss the situation with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming days.
He concluded the brief press conference by recognising that there were a lot of questions, for which the government could not yet provide “concrete answers”. However, he assured that they were looking for the “best solution” for people in Ukraine, the EU and Luxembourg.
