The informal meeting of the EU Council scheduled for March 2 has been postponed due to a drone incident at the British military base in Akrotiri, Cyprus. This decision was announced by the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, as reported by a correspondent from Radio Liberty in Brussels.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight at the Akrotiri base, where a drone caused minor damage, according to a government spokesperson from Cyprus.
In light of this unexpected event, which affected air traffic to Cyprus, the presidency opted to delay the informal council meeting to a later date, which has yet to be disclosed.
The statement noted, “Relevant authorities immediately activated safety protocols and are closely monitoring the situation in ongoing coordination with the UK government and the administration of the British bases.”
Previously, the meeting was anticipated to yield progress on technical discussions regarding Ukraine’s EU membership. Participants were expected to advance negotiations on three additional clusters beyond the initial three presented in December 2025 in Lviv.
On February 27, UK Defense Minister John Healey remarked that Iran’s indiscriminate retaliatory attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes included two ballistic missiles launched towards Cyprus.
Earlier on February 28, Israeli forces conducted strikes on Iranian territory. Hours after Israel announced what it termed a “preventive strike,” US President Donald Trump stated that Washington had initiated “extensive military operations” against Iran.
In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple waves of drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel. Additionally, Iran targeted several countries in the Middle East housing US military bases, with reports of explosions in Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
The EU Council's informal meeting has been postponed due to a drone incident at a British base in Cyprus, which caused minor damage and disrupted air traffic. The meeting was expected to advance discussions on Ukraine's EU membership amidst escalating tensions in the region following recent military actions involving Iran.