BRUSSELS, October 17. /TASS/. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East will once again dominate the agenda of the regular two-day European Council meeting, bringing together all EU leaders in Brussels.
European Council President Charles Michel said he had invited Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to present his so-called victory plan to the heads of EU states and governments. An EU official told reporters on the eve of the summit that the union hopes to strike an agreement on boosting military assistance to Ukraine.
In his words, EU leaders will review progress in supplying the Kiev government with air defense capabilities, ammunition and missiles, as well as consider support measures within the framework of the European Peace Facility and in the form of bilateral aid from EU member countries.
They will address the progress in implementing the scheme to use incomes generated by frozen Russian assets for supporting Ukraine, he added.
Finally, the heads of EU states and governments will discuss measures of strengthening Ukraine’s power generation sector and its critical infrastructure in the run-up to the winter season.
The Middle East conflict, which has been high on the agenda of all European Council meetings for more than a year, will also be addressed. Participants will discuss latest developments, including the recent critical escalation in the region. They are likely to speak in favor of an immediate ceasefire along the so-called Blue Line (a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights) and support to Lebanon’s governmental institutions and armed forces, as well as declare their support for immediate ceasefire and humanitarian deliveries in the Gaza Strip and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages held in the enclave.
EU leaders are also expected to discuss the latest round of escalation in the West Bank, Israeli settlement activities and security in the Red Sea.
An EU diplomat said the European Council is also expected to send a signal to the Georgian government, threatening it to freeze the country’s European integration process if Tbilisi fails to change its political course.
The situation in Moldova ahead of upcoming elections, EU migration policies and economic development issues will also be among the topics.