Press Remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas After the Foreign Affairs Council Meeting

On Tuesday, High Representative Kaja Kallas addressed reporters after the meeting, of the Foreign Affairs Council.

The full text of her remarks is as follows:

"Good evening, everybody,

We had a very intense day. First, we started with the Foreign Affairs Council on Defence and then we had the Foreign Ministers when we [discussed] a wide range of topics.

So, four points. First, the first discussion on Ukraine. Our top priority remains a full and unconditional ceasefire.

Ukraine agreed to it over 60 days ago already, but instead of seeking peace Russia is still playing games and Russia has escalated its attacks. The only option is to put more pressure on Russia to negotiate seriously.

Today, we adopted another sanctions package. This package is also targeting Moscow's shadow fleet, among others. And we also had the discussion. We had David O'Sullivan, and we had also Daniel Markić showing how the sanctions are affecting Russia's economy. So, the impact on Russia's economy, of the sanctions, is significant, and they hamper Russia's capacity to wage the war. The effect on the European economy is limited because we have diversified our energy resources.

Ministers asked also for a fast progress on the next round of sanctions. We have said, many countries have said, if Russia does not agree to full an unconditional ceasefire, there will be more pressure. And of course, working on the next package of sanctions is the pressure we can put [on].

We also discussed the contributions to security guarantees given to Ukraine and what more can we do also on the European level in this regard.

[The] second discussion was about European defence. EU leaders have set out the priority areas. Now we have to translate these into real capabilities and we have put forward proposals also how to find funding and how to really increase the leverage that the Member States can use - the financial leverage. And also, the discussion was about how we can work together and how we can do the procurements together. And we need the progress by [the] European Council [in June]. Just to remind you, it is also together with NATO's Summit.

I'm also pleased to announce that the 5,000 European troops, part of the [EU] Rapid Deployment Capacity are now operational. And this will allow Europe to act faster when crises erupt.

Then third, we had a very intensive discussion on the Middle East. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is, of course, welcomed, but it is a drop in the ocean.

Aid must flow immediately without obstruction and at scale because this is what is needed. I have made these points also [during] my talks with Israelis. I have had talks with [the] UN and the regional leaders as well. Pressure is necessary to change the situation.

It is clear from today's discussion that there is a strong majority in favour of [the] review of Article 2 of our Association Agreement with Israel. So, we will launch this exercise and, in the meantime, it is up to Israel to unblock the humanitarian aid. Saving lives must be our top priority.

On Syria, Ministers agreed to lift all economic sanctions while maintaining those related to Assad’s regime and human rights violations. This decision is reversible and conditional also on progress. There can be no peace without the path to economic recovery, and we all need a stable Syria. Is everything ideal there? No, it is not. It is very clear. But I think we need to give the Syrian people a chance.

Then, we also discussed the situation in Da’esh camps in addition to ongoing fights, work on [the] fight to radicalisation. A financial package worth of €18 million will go towards improving the conditions in the camps.

And finally, in a time of growing, unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever. And that is why I am pleased to announce that we are preparing a € 5.5 million contract with the European Endowment for Democracy, and this will support the vital work of Radio Free Europe. It is [a] short-term, emergency funding designed for the safety net for the independent journalism. "