SWEDISH Foreign Minister Tobias Billström was banned from entering the Polish-Ukrainian border after failing to present his passport which he realized he had forgotten to bring with him.
Due to the mishap, the Swedish foreign minister had no choice but to skip an informal meeting of foreign ministers representing the 27 EU member states that happened in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Monday, October 1st.
Besides Billström, foreign ministers from Hungary, Poland, and Latvia also failed to show up for the meeting.
It was the first time the EU foreign ministers representing the bloc’s 27 member states met in war-torn Ukraine.
It was also the first time that the top diplomats held a meeting outside the bloc’s borders.
The discussion focused on additional support for Ukraine and its future accession to the EU, as well as more sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine is not a member of the bloc but has repeatedly expressed its desire to join.
During the summit, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said that the bloc had proposed an additional five billion euros (€5bn) worth of aid for Ukraine and that its member countries would train 40,000 soldiers.
Before this, the bloc had announced €70 billion in support for the war-torn country.