EU foreign ministers are expected to approve a new partnership mission for Armenia aimed at countering hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas made the announcement ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

“We are also going to agree on a new Partnership Mission for Armenia to counter the hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference that the country is facing,” Kallas said.

Work on the European Union’s 21st sanctions package against Russia is continuing, although member states have not yet reached an agreement, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on July 13.

Speaking to reporters upon arriving for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said the ministers were expected to approve 250 new sanctions listings while discussions on the next sanctions package remain under way.

“Today we are hoping to agree on 250 listings, and at the same time we are also working on the 21st sanctions package, where we do not yet have an agreement.

This is the largest number of listings we have adopted so far. It is also a response to Russia’s recent attacks against civilians,” Kallas said.

The European Union’s new mission in Armenia will begin its work to support the country’s authorities in combating cyber threats, disinformation and illicit financial flows. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the announcement following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. She said Armenia and Moldova are facing external coercion. “Last week, the EU announced a major economic support package for Armenia to help it withstand Russian pressure. Today, ministers approved the launch of the EU’s new mission on the ground,” Kallas said. According to Kallas, EU experts will assist the Armenian authorities in addressing cyber threats, disinformation and illicit financial flows.

EU foreign ministers have discussed the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, efforts to strengthen the country’s energy resilience and a new package of sanctions against Russia. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the remarks following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. According to Kallas, ministers discussed the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine’s energy resilience with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. She said Russia is likely to target Ukraine’s power grid again next winter and that the European Union is preparing for that scenario. “Ukraine needs generators, spare parts and funding for repairs,” Kallas said. She stressed that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence remains a priority and called on EU member states with available capabilities to provide them to Ukraine. According to Kallas, the United States’ decision to allow Kyiv to produce Patriot missiles under licence is a positive step, although it will take time to implement. The EU’s top diplomat also said the Foreign Affairs Council had approved a new package of sanctions against Russia for the ninth consecutive time. “We are imposing sanctions on Russia at an unprecedented speed and scale,” Kallas said. According to her, today’s measures, together with the forthcoming 21st sanctions package, include more than 250 listings. She described this as the largest round of individual sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Kallas said the primary target of the sanctions is the financial backbone of Russia’s military machine.

The European Commission has presented options for restricting trade with Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the announcement following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. According to Kallas, the peace process in Gaza has stalled. She said she discussed the current situation with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa the previous day. Kallas said the Palestinian donor group had raised €900 million. “The EU is the Palestinian people’s most reliable partner. We are the largest donor and the strongest supporter of the two-state solution,” Kallas said. Referring to the West Bank, Kallas said all 27 EU member states agree that the Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. According to her, the options presented by the European Commission include a full or partial ban on imports of products from the settlements, stricter export licensing requirements and the possible introduction of customs duties. “These are not measures against Israel. These are measures against illegal settlements, which undermine the two-state solution,” Kallas said. She added that EU ambassadors had been instructed to continue work on the issue and that an extraordinary meeting would likely also be convened.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said seeking justice for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “a serious principle” for the Islamic Republic.

“The government has a clear responsibility. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of this process,” Baghaei said during a press conference in Tehran.

“At the international level, we will use all available legal and international mechanisms and instruments to document the crimes committed by the United States and Israel and pursue justice,” he added.

Baghaei also said Iran is seeking to agree with Oman on a joint mechanism for managing the Strait of Hormuz, but claimed that U.S. pressure on Muscat has hindered those efforts.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on July 13 that sanctions against Iran will not be lifted unless Tehran abandons its nuclear program. 

“Sanctions against the Iranian regime will not be lifted until it abandons its nuclear program, which destabilizes the region, and its ballistic missile program, some of whose missiles could one day target Europe,” he told French broadcaster BFMTV.

The French foreign minister also called on the United States and Iran to honor the commitments they undertook under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), warning that a renewed escalation in the Middle East would leave “only losers in Iran, the United States, and everywhere else in the world.”

Last month, Barrot said France wanted to play a role in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and would not agree to lifting UN sanctions until it was satisfied with the terms of a final peace agreement following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

France is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over the renewed military confrontation in the Middle East.

The remarks were contained in a statement issued by UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the serious escalation in the Gulf and the resumption of military confrontation, including Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. strikes against Iran, and Iranian attacks against targets in neighboring states. These attacks must stop,” the statement said.

Guterres called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalation, and take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.

The statement warns that a resumption of large-scale military hostilities in the Middle East would have devastating consequences for the people of the region, as well as for international peace and security and the global economy.

“The Secretary-General calls on Iran and the United States to urgently resume negotiations and resolve all outstanding issues through diplomatic means,” the statement said.

The European Union has imposed additional restrictive measures on nine individuals and four entities over cyber activities targeting the EU, its member states and international partners.

The measures were announced in a statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, released by her office.

According to the statement, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has for years conducted a wide range of malicious cyber activities affecting the EU, its member states, and international partners, notably Ukraine.

“These activities have included infiltration of governmental networks and sabotage of critical infrastructure. Among others, France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland have been targeted,” the statement said.

The EU strongly condemned what it described as Russia’s misuse of a cyber ecosystem targeting public services and critical infrastructure.

“In response to these malicious activities, the EU is imposing restrictive measures on nine individuals and four entities. The sanctions target GRU intelligence officers, as well as cybercriminals, self-proclaimed hacktivists and private companies that contribute to Russia’s efforts to destabilise the EU, its member states and international partners,” the statement said.

The sanctions include travel bans to the European Union and asset freezes on the listed individuals and entities.

Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in cyberattacks carried out against targets in Europe.

European countries have reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that swept across western parts of the continent in late June, according to official data.

Figures published by the EuroMOMO network show that more than 9,000 of the excess deaths occurred among people aged 65 and over.

EuroMOMO compiles mortality data in cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Extreme heat can be fatal by causing heatstroke or by exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Older people are among the most vulnerable groups.

Scientists said the late-June heatwave would have been “virtually impossible” without human-induced climate change, which is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense.

The data cover 27 European countries. Particularly high excess mortality was recorded in Belgium and France, while Spain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland reported more moderate increases.