European Council To Discuss Ukraine, Energy, Food Security On May 30-31 - President

European Council to Discuss Ukraine, Energy, Food Security on May 30-31 - President

The European Council will convene a meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine, energy and food security in the world, and the EU defense capabilities on May 30-31 in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2022) The European Council will convene a meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine, energy and food security in the world, and the EU defense capabilities on May 30-31 in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday.

"We gather for a special meeting of the European Council on 30-31 May to take forward our discussions on Ukraine, energy, food security, and defense," Michel said in an invitation letter to the Council members, published on the Council's website.

The Council will address the increasing energy prices, speeding up energy transition and further work to "phase out our dependency on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible," according to the letter.

Concerning global food security, the Council will discuss "concrete ways to help Ukraine export its agricultural produce using EU infrastructure" and coordinate multilateral initiatives on the matter.

The EU body will also pay special attention to the vulnerable African countries, with African Union Chairman Macky Sall expected to address the Council by video.

The Council will also look at the situation in Ukraine, in particular, the issues of further aid to Kiev and multilateral efforts on Ukraine's reconstruction. Other topics include investment gaps in defense expenditures, and "further initiatives to strengthen the European defense industrial and technological base." Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the meeting via video link.

The meeting will start at 4 p.m. Brussels time (15:00 GMT) and will start with an address by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.