FM, EU ministers, Blinken discuss EU, Russia, transatlantic ties

EU-Russia relations, Belarus and transatlantic ties dominated the EU foreign ministers' Monday talks in Brussels, with Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau representing Poland.

Also attending were US State Secretary Antony Blinken (via videolink) and EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

Among others, the ministers agreed on new EU sanctions against Russia in connection with Moscow's imprisonment of oppositionist Alexei Navalny.

Recounting the meeting, Rau said on Twitter that it focused on EU-Russia relations following Navalny's imprisonment, the human rights situation in Belarus, also in the context of the recent sentencing of two female journalists from the Belsat TV broadcaster, and EU-US relations under the new Biden administration.

Rau said the ministers quickly reached agreement on sanctioning Russian officials responsible for Navalny's incarceration.

The talks with Blinken concentrated on climate and Washington's return to the World Health Organisation, the Paris Agreement and the World Trade Organisation, Rau said.

He added that the talks confirmed shared US and EU views regarding rivalry between the West and China.