ATHENS — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is due in Brussels on Monday to attend the special meeting of the European Council that will be held on May 24-25.

According to sources, EU leaders are expected to focus on foreign policy issues during their meeting on Monday evening, with the state hijacking of a Ryanair commercial flight and arrest of a dissident journalist on board by Belarus now added to the agenda. There will also be a strategic discussion about Russia and relations with the United Kingdom after the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement came into force, as well as the situation in the Middle East and the upcoming EU-US summit in mid-June.

On Tuesday, EU leaders will hold talks on issues relating to the pandemic, vaccinations and the green digital vaccination certificate, including the EU's role in international solidarity and increasing the supply of vaccines to all parts of the world.

EU leaders will also discuss the European Commission's proposals for stepping up EU climate goals by 2030 and a series of measures to reduce emissions by 55 pct by that year.