Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas cited a sharp increase in Russia's military spending, noting that Moscow is now allocating more money to defense than the EU combined, and more than its own health care, education, and social policies put together.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas urged the European Union to press forward with lowering the oil price cap on Russian crude, even without U.S. support, warning that Middle East tensions could otherwise drive prices up and boost Russia's revenues.
The European Union can impose an additional price cap on Russian oil without U.S. support, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said at the Brussels Forum on June 11.
The EU condemned Georgia's foreign agents law, which officially came into effect, and called on authorities to reverse the country's democratic backsliding in a statement published on May 31.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas proposed creating a Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, envisioned as an early warning and monitoring system that would enhance situational awareness and protect key infrastructure.
The European Union is preparing to provide Radio Free Europe with a contract valued at 5.5 million euros ($6.2 million) in "emergency funding" to support the ongoing work of the media organization amid the Trump administration's funding cuts.
The European Union is preparing to downsize its diplomatic service – the European External Action Service (EEAS) – and redirect funds toward strategic interests such as enforcing sanctions against Russia, POLITICO reported on May 20.
Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas announced on May 20 that the EU has "agreed to lift all economic sanctions" on Syria, adding that "there can be no peace without the path to economic recovery."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Editor's Note: The original version of this article said that the EU foreign ministers committed to advancing a special tribunal for the Russian war crimes. The tribunal will actually investigate Russia's crime of aggression against Ukraine. LVIV — On Europe Day, as tanks rolled through Moscow's Red Square in a show
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
"I am going to Moscow on May 9 ... No one can tell me where I should or should not travel," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on April 15.
"What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side," the European Union’s top diplomat said on April 14.
Key developments on April 14: * Ukraine developing strategic-level air defense system, foreign minister says * Russia tries to land troops, break through Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says * Death toll in Russian April 13 missile strike on Sumy rises to 35 * EU secures two-thirds of 2 million rounds
"I'm happy to see we already have two-thirds of my ammunition initiative together," Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, referring to an initiative to provide Ukraine with 2 million high-caliber rounds worth 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion).
Kallas's statement comes after EU leaders decided at a summit in Brussels on March 20 to help cover Ukraine's ammunition needs through aid packages announced by individual countries over the past month.
Foreign ministers from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, and Poland, along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, called on Russia to agree to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire on equal terms and with full implementation."
The EU is working on providing Ukraine with 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for ammunition, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said on March 20, as a much larger 40-billion-euro ($43 billion) package still lacks consensus.
The European Union plans to supply Ukraine with at least 2 million shells annually, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on March 19.
The initiative to provide Ukraine with 40 billion euros ($43.6 billion) in military aid has "broad political support" among EU member states, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on March 17 before the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels.
"Consider here in America that after 9/11 you would have sat down with Osama bin Laden and said, 'OK, what else do you want?' I mean, it's unimaginable," Kallas said.
Kaja Kallas suggested that "the messages coming out of the U.S." regarding the elections in Ukraine suggest that "the Russian narrative is very strongly represented there."
European foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, Kallas said on X on Feb. 18.
"We agreed that we are not automatically filling the void with European money because, first, we don't have those funds," Kallas said.
The tribunal, set to operate within the Council of Europe, will focus on Russia's political and military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.
EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 28 in their first official phone conversation since the Trump administration took office.
"While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas posted on X, adding that the EU plans to scale up humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Syria.
Without unanimous support from all 27 EU countries, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas issued her own statement, declaring that the January 26 election in Belarus was "neither free nor fair."
Speaking at a European Defense Agency meeting on Jan. 22, EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas stressed that the bloc must act decisively to counter Russia's growing militarization. "We are running out of time. The Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and ours. They are buying us time."
"If the United States is not ready for it, the European Union is ready to take the lead," Kallas said.
Launched in October 2022, the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) has already trained approximately 60,000 Ukrainian troops as of August 2024, primarily in Germany and Poland.
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