EU envoy says talks will likely discuss Ukraine war, China

Diplomacy

Published: 21 May. 2023, 15:52 Updated: 21 May. 2023, 16:43

EU envoy says talks will likely discuss Ukraine war, China

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event during the Group of 7 (G7) Summit, at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Support for Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and dealings with China — all are likely to loom large in the discussions between the European Union leaders and President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday.

“We will continue supporting Ukraine, as long as it takes, and we will ask for support from Korea, in whatever form they can provide,” said Maria Castillo-Fernandez, ambassador of the European Union to Korea, speaking with a group of reporters in Seoul recently.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel, who flew into Seoul on Sunday from Hiroshima following the Group of 7 (G7) Summit, are scheduled to meet with Yoon on Monday.

Castillo-Fernandez was responding to a question from the press on whether the EU leaders may ask Yoon to provide lethal aid to Ukraine during their summit meeting in Seoul, the first since they took office in 2019.

Maria Castillo-Fernandez, ambassador of the European Union to Korea, speaks with a group of reporters in Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Sanctions on Russia may also be up for discussion.

Korea joined international sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Its trade volume with Russia dropped by 22.7 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, according to Korea International Trade Association.

The EU has also been recalibrating its approach to China lately.

The EU’s trade deficit with China hit 396 billion euros ($428 billion) last year, more than doubling the numbers from 2016.

“Trade can become a weapon,” said Castillo-Fernandez. “We saw it with Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”

The EU does not want to isolate China, said Castillo-Fernandez.

“We want to engage with China — we see them as a partner, competitor and rival,” she said, reiterating the EU’s policy on relations with China.

But each EU member state may differ on their approaches to address their economic relations with China, she added. European leaders’ recent visits to Beijing or Taiwan recently have drawn strong responses both within Europe and China.

“The idea is that the music will be the same,” she said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, second from right, attending a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel, left, in Hiroshima, on the second day of the G7 Summit Leaders' Meeting. [AFP/YONHAP]

Yoon and the EU presidents were also expected to discuss their ongoing maritime security and cyber security cooperation against threats in the region, including from North Korea.

"To strengthen our partnership on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, we are discussing expanding the pillars of our cooperation to green, health and digital," said Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, in speaking with the press last week.

The leaders will release a joint statement following their meeting Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center left, arrive for a working session with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in this file photo dated April 6. [AP/YONHAP]

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]