The most urgent topic on the agenda of the working visit by Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra on 15 February was the uncertainly created by Russian troops gathered near the Ukraine border. Jean Asselborn expressed his concern and stressed the need to maintain dialogue with Russia and Ukraine. The two ministers agreed there is a need for a common and united European position. For Luxembourg, upholding the principles of inviolability of borders and sovereignty of countries is an absolute priority.

American intelligence indicated that Russia could launch an offensive as soon as 16 February. At the time of writing that was not the case. However there have been reports of cyberattacks with Ukraine’s defence ministry’s website being down.

Asselborn and Hoekstra also discussed the issue of upholding the rule of law across the European Union. Asselborn indicated that the Council of the EU must remain seized as long as the problems of the rule of law have not been resolved within a country. A decision by the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg on Wednesday resulted in Brussels being allowed to cut funding for Hungary and Poland for not respecting democratic standards and the rule of law. However political delays and legal challenges are expected.

The successful evacuation in August 2021 of Luxembourg residents from Afghanistan was cited by Hoekstra and Asselborn as a sign of the good relations between the two countries. Luxembourg’s foreign minister expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by the Netherlands during the procedure.

In light of Luxembourg taking the helm of the presidency of the Benelux Union last week, Hoekstra highlighted his support for the implementation of the grand duchy’s priorities during its mandate. Those include cooperation in the countries’ efforts to emerge from the pandemic, renewable energy, and safety. Developing synergies with neighboring regions will also be among the targets of the Luxembourg presidency.