European Union foreign ministers will gather in Warsaw this week for an informal council meeting and then head to Lviv in a show of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of a major Victory Day celebrations in Russia.
Few concrete decisions are expected be made in either Poland on May 7-8, nor a day later in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, as these aren't official EU councils.
"In line with the meeting's informal nature and taking benefit from the more intimate (ministers-only) setting, we encourage everyone's contribution to a truly frank and nonscripted discussion," read a welcoming note for the Warsaw meeting that was seen by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
"In this spirit, we recommend that our working sessions take place without interpretation or electronic devices. We also kindly invite you to opt for semi-formal attire throughout the meeting.”
SEE ALSO: During Prague Visit, Zelenskyy Says 'Eager' Putin Should Focus On Peace, Not ParadesBut the informality doesn't mean the meetings will lack high-level officials and come at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to capture the world's attention with a massive military parade in front of dozens of dignitaries from around the world.
During the first day of the Warsaw meeting, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will join to discuss European security, while the second day is dedicated to EU-US relations and the situation in Ukraine.
On the latter, the welcome note, signed by the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the host, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, proposes an "in-depth discussion" on the EU's role in bolstering Ukraine's negotiation position toward a "just and lasting peace."
Officials will look to do this, the note says, by "building on our unique collective leverage: broad support to Ukraine, in particular financial and military, pressure to constrain Russia's war chest, Ukraine's EU accession path, and the ongoing work on enhancing European defense capabilities."
While no decisions are to be rubber-stamped, there are three developments pertaining to Ukraine that analysts say will be closely watched.
The EU is aiming to announce more cash for Ukraine's defense industry, though a figure has yet to be agreed.
SEE ALSO: Russian Air Strikes Target Kyiv As Zelenskyy Calls For 30-Day Cease-FireThe bloc is also expected to accelerate sanctions on Russia in the wake of numerous missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
According to EU diplomats, it is likely to be a smaller package consisting mainly of the further blacklisting of Russian officers and politicians along with adding ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet that will be banned from getting services in European ports.
Major new economic sanctions against Russia aren't expected to avoid dissent from some EU capitals and instead get a quick green light as a sign of solidarity in ratcheting up pressure on Moscow.
The Lviv meeting is set to take place as the ministers attend the establishment of a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting senior Russian and Belarusian leaders for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The tribunal is meant as a complement to the ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide that was launched three years ago.
It will fill in the gaps as the ICC isn't looking into is what are legally known as "crimes of aggression" such as military occupation, annexation, and bombardments.
A so-called core group of countries, including all EU member states except Hungary and Slovakia, as well as the G7 minus the United States, has drawn up three documents on an agreement with Ukraine to establish the tribunal.
The actual tribunal won't be formally set up until the Council of Europe's committee of ministers votes on it on May 14.
The EU and Kyiv have been gathering evidence on crimes of aggression since 2023.