Check against delivery!

Well, here we are.  This is the seventh meeting of the G7 [Foreign Ministers] since the Ukrainian war started. And I am sure that we will come out with a strong message.  The recipe is clear – more of the same. 

I mean, more support to Ukraine, including military support. I will announce that we, the European Union, we will provide a new tranche of 500 more million [eur] to support the military of Ukraine. It will make about two billion euros in total. A new impetus for military support. 

More pressure on Russia, with economic sanctions. Continue working on international isolation of Russia. Countering the disinformation about the consequences of the war – on energy and food prices around the world. And presenting a united front to continue supporting Ukraine. 

This is going to be, I am sure, the outcome of this meeting.

Q&A

Q. Ukraine is asking for weapons such as fighter jets. Do you think that you can use the new €500 million also for financing fighter jets for Ukraine? 

You cannot provide a lot of fighter jets with €500 million. This €500 million will be allocated for heavy arms. We are at the moment providing armored vehicles, tanks, heavy artillery, ammunition - the things needed for this kind of war.

Q. Where are we on the oil embargo? Will Hungary finally go in and agree to the embargo? 

Well, the war continues. On Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministers will deal with it, and I will provide a new political impetus for an agreement. I am sure we will have an agreement - we need this agreement, and we will have it. Because we have to get rid of the oil dependency on Russia. We have to understand the specific circumstances of every one of the 27 member states. But if there is no agreement at the level of the Ambassadors, on Monday, the Ministers, when they gather at the Foreign Affairs Council, they have to provide the political impetus. I will take very much care of that.

Q. The UK Foreign Secretary also talked about the need for unity, even as her country is threatening to break an international Treaty with the EU. Did you discuss that with her? 

Yes, I was informed of the British government’s position, and I will pass the message to my colleagues in charge at the [European] Commission.

Q. Can you tell us what happened to Mr [Enrique] Mora this morning? 

Oh yes, Mr [Enrique] Mora, my good friend Mr Mora, who was coming back from Teheran. But he is on the way, the issue is over, he took the plane, and he is travelling according to his program. The important thing is the outcome of his mission to Teheran. It has gone better than expected - the negotiations were stalled, and now they have been reopened. So, the travel has been very much profitable.

Q. Mr Mora is back from Iran. How do you assess his meetings in Iran? Where are we at? 

As I said, I assessed his meetings in Iran very much positively. The negotiations had been stalled for two months due to this disagreement about what to do the Revolutionary Guards. Mr Mora visited Iran with a concrete message from my side, saying that we could not continue like this. The answer has been positive enough in order to believe that we can relaunch the work between the parties.

Q. “Positive enough” - we have heard this for several months. 

Look, this kind of thing cannot be solved overnight. But let us say that the negotiations were blocked, and they have been de-blocked. It means that there is a perspective of reaching a final agreement.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-224917