The EU hopes to boost its support for Gulf states by using Ukraine's expertise in fighting against drones and enhancing the bloc's naval missions in the region, the EU's special envoy for the Gulf, Luigi Di Maio, told The National.
A flurry of calls between Brussels and regional powers have taken place as the war escalates, with Israel hitting oil depots near Tehran and intensifying attacks on Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to launch strikes on its neighbours, with a drone attack leading to the deaths of two people in a residential building in Riyadh on Sunday.
"This is a terrible situation, where friends matter and friendships matter – and our friendship and our partnership is very instrumental to help our Gulf brothers to defend themselves," Mr Di Maio said.
Leaders and senior officials from the region were on Monday scheduled to hold an emergency online meeting on the war with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The talks come days after the EU's foreign affairs minister, Kaja Kallas, spoke to Gulf representatives to stress the bloc's solidarity with the region.
Ukrainian expertise
In a joint statement, the EU
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