Undersecretary of State Marek Prawda takes part in Foreign Affairs Council session

The foreign ministers also held an informal discussion with the UK's top diplomat David Lammy.

In addition, the Council adopted further sanctions against Iran due to its military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

While discussing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Deputy Minister Marek Prawda stressed the need to ensure further assistance for the country under attack including, among other things, military and energy support. He spoke in favour of lifting restrictions on the use of weapons donated to Ukraine by the West and called for immediate release of European Peace Facility funds to finance military support for Ukraine. Deputy Minister Prawda also supported the proposal to set up the EU and G7 Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, secured on profits from immobilised Russian Central Bank assets. He also noted the need to uphold sanction pressure on Russia and effectively prevent sanctions circumvention by means of, among others, so-called shadow fleet. Deputy Minister Prawda also stressed the need to counteract the Kremlin's propaganda. Moreover, he noted that all peace initiatives must be in line with the UN Charter, the principle of the inviolability of borders, and consulted with and agreed on by Ukraine.

With regard to the situation in the Middle East, Deputy Minister Marek Prawda pointed to de-escalation as the top priority. The deputy head of Polish diplomacy also noted the need to protect civilian population, employees of international aid organisations, the UN staff, and the members of the UNFIL mission. He recalled that it was at Poland's initiative that 40 states participating in the peace forces in Lebanon have signed a joint statement to condemn recent attacks on the mission's base.

In an informal discussion with the UK's Foreign Secretary, Deputy Minister Prawda pledged Poland's support for the strengthening of cooperation between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the field of foreign and security policy.

In regard to current affairs, the deputy minister referred to Poland's support for Moldova ahead of its presidential elections and the referendum on EU integration, and pointed to the crucial importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia for its geopolitical future.