Belgium

14 October 2023; AA: In an interview published Saturday, the EU’s top diplomat compared Gaza to Ukraine and said some of Israel’s military response violates international law,.

“We’ve said it in Ukraine, and we say it in Gaza: you cannot cut off water and all utilities to an entire population,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Spanish daily El Pais. “We must keep repeating, pressuring and insisting (that Israel comply with international law).”

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leader Charles Michel on Friday warned that the Israel-Hamas war could create a surge in refugees heading for Europe, raising the risk of spurring on anti-migrant forces, deepening divisions and inflaming tensions between supporters of Israel and the Palestinians.

“Look, if there would be more difficulties at the regional level, we would have immediately huge difficulties on the European soil because of the refugees,” EU Council President Michel said in an interview with The Associated Press.

BRUSSELS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Defence ministers at NATO's Brussels headquarters watched stunned as their Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday showed them "shocking" and "horrific" video from the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, diplomats said.

Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement that rules Gaza in retribution for the deadliest attack on Jewish civilians since the Holocaust, when hundreds of militants breached the boundary fence and stormed nearby Israeli communities on Saturday.

BRUSSELS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- As the world's attention shifted to Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels on Wednesday to ask Western countries to continue their aid to Ukraine.

"We spoke about priorities for Ukraine, for defending how to survive during this next winter," Zelensky told reporters before attending a meeting with NATO defense ministers.

"We need some support from the leaders. That is why I am here today," he said, with the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

11 October 2023; MEMO: NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg, on Wednesday, said Israel has the “right to defend itself” but added that any response was expected to be “proportionate”, Anadolu Agency reports.

On the most recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Palestinian group, Hamas, and Israel, Stoltenberg said it was “important as this conflict continues to do whatever is possible to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives.”

BRUSSELS/BERLIN, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Monday it was putting all of its development aid for Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($729 million), under review and immediately suspending all payments following Hamas' attack on Israel.

Germany and Austria earlier on Monday said they were suspending bilateral development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy had said suspending aid was not up for discussion.

BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will discuss how to reform the 27-nation bloc to take in new members at a summit in Granada on Oct. 5-6, launching a long process to prepare the EU for enlargement by a tentative deadline of 2030.

Below is a list of countries that want to join the EU.

BRUSSELS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The European Union is considering unlocking billions of euros for Hungary that were frozen over rule-of-law concerns as it seeks to win Budapest's approval for aid to Ukraine including a start to membership talks for Kyiv, senior officials said.

Hungary cultivates closer ties with Russia than other EU states, and is seen as the key potential opponent to a decision due in December on whether to open accession talks with Kyiv, which would require unanimous backing of the union's 27 members.

BRUSSELS, September 29. /TASS/: The North Atlantic Council has decided to send in more KFOR troops to help stabilize the situation in Kosovo.

BRUSSELS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Seven EU countries have ordered ammunition under a landmark European Union procurement scheme to get urgently needed artillery shells to Ukraine and replenish depleted Western stocks, according to the EU agency in charge.

The orders - placed under contracts negotiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) - are for 155mm artillery rounds, one of the most important munitions in the war of attrition between Ukraine's troops and Russian invaders.