Full speech of EU High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas:
It is a real pleasure to be here at the United Nations Security Council. I am also very happy that we have the Team Europe here, really you can see that we work all very well together.
The world is more dangerous now than it has ever been since the Cold War. From Russia's war against Ukraine, to conflicts in the Middle East and the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, global security is eroding fast. But this is precisely why the United Nations is needed: without it, the world would face even greater chaos.
The European Union is the United Nations most reliable partner and the world's largest donor of development aid. Europe plays a major role in the UN-led security efforts, contributing over a fifth of the UN peacekeeping budget.
The European Union is also a security provider in its own right, with over 20 missions and operations worldwide. From Gaza to Sudan, our organisations work side-by-side to bring stability, provide aid and support political solutions.
Today, we discussed the situation in the Middle East. In Syria, the path to stability remains fraught, as the recent shocking violence has underscored. I call on all sides to seek peaceful solutions and to overcome the spiral of violence. The European Union supports an inclusive transition [and] an economic recovery. Next week the European Union will host a donors conference aimed at generating much needed financial support for Syria’s reconstruction.
In Gaza, the ceasefire is under strain. It is critical that both sides uphold their commitments and that Phase two talks succeed. Humanitarian aid and services should not be politicised. The European Union welcomes the Arab Recovery Plan, and we look forward to discussing it further with our partners. As the region moves on and to rebuild, the Two-State solution remains the only path to sustainable peace.
The Security Council also discussed Russia's war against Ukraine. Moscow’s war is nothing more than a colonial assault and an unjust invasion of a sovereign neighbour. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainian people who are bombarded every day. I agree with President Trump that the killing must stop. Putin can end this war instantly: all he needs to do is stop bombing Ukraine.
Instead, Russian attacks have intensified in recent days, once again showing that Russia does not want peace. Any deal with Putin must be backed by strong security guarantees. Russia's track record of broken treaties leaves no room for trust. In response to Russia's threat, European Union leaders have pledged to massively increase military spending – not to provoke a conflict with Russia, but to prevent it.
As we strengthen Europe, the European Union will remain a predictable, reliable, and credible partner for the United Nations. Yes, the world is ablaze today, but the multilateral system we built remains the best path to a more stable world. So, thank you and I am happy to take some questions.
Q&A
Q. President Trump said recently that the EU was created to ‘screw the US’. That was obviously in relation to trade, but how do you feel that you can overcome that antagonism, so you are not completely sidelined on key issues like Ukraine? And, on that note, have you had any kind of readout from your Ukrainian counterparts on how the talks went today in Riyadh?
Yes, thank you for the question. First, Europe is a peace project, and it was created so that there would not be any wars among the members of the European Union. And we do not have those wars. We do not have trade wars either between ourselves because we have the internal market. When it comes to being a major player in the geopolitical sphere, I think right now, everything, our relations with third parties around the world show that everybody is looking at us because we are the reliable and the predictable partner. I really see the possibility to grow also Europe’s geopolitical presence. When it comes to the talks right now, then the messages that we get from Ukraine are that these talks are very constructive, so we will look forward to more news from there.
Q. I wonder if you could preview the upcoming EU-South Africa summit in Cape Town, which EU Commission leadership will attend. Particularly as my context is framed in here, in the context that Europe is being attacked by the United States – in the main, Donald Trump with Elon Musk, as has South Africa. I wonder if you can frame this upcoming meeting in that context and also in the context of South Africa's G20 presidency.
Yes, South Africa’s G20 presidency is built on sustainability and equality for all. These are the basic principles also of the European Union. So, we see a lot of cooperation points. I was just in South Africa in preparation for the Summit with the ministers. I can say that we found a lot of points of cooperation when it comes to energy corporation, when it comes to critical raw materials, but also security arrangements. So, I think there's a lot of room for cooperation. I also think that the shifts in geopolitics really give Europe the possibility to build these relationships anew.
Q. More on Ukraine. Ukraine, as you know better than anyone, has divided the European Union, the United States here at the United Nations, among other places. A follow up on the earlier question, what is your best hope of what comes out of Saudi Arabia talks?
Thank you. First, in Europe, we have been very united on our response and support to Ukraine. And that is – actually considering that we are 27 countries, and we have been able to keep this – I think, very important, because our strength is unity. When it comes to talks, I think everybody is looking forward to a peace that lasts, a peace that ends the human suffering. We are willing to work for such kind of solutions. We also know that there has to be accountability for the crimes committed. Also, we are here today in the United Nations – and [the] United Nations Charter, is a very, very good document of universal principles. But there also has to be response if somebody violates those principles. Therefore, I think it is in our interest together with like-minded partners all across the world that the UN Charter is still applicable.
Q. You talked about the Arab plan for Gaza. What are the areas that you think you can work with the Arab group on Gaza. Do you have benchmarks, do you have maybe a time frame for the process? Are you planning to start funding any projects anytime soon?
We are in close cooperation with our Arab partners, and we are studying the plan carefully and also seeing what our contribution could be. It is clear that for any kind of reconstruction there has to be stability and peace. Otherwise, it is it is very hard to build. Therefore, the governance of Gaza is an extremely important discussion point, where the European Union sees also the role to be a mediating partner. We definitely want to see the governance of Gaza so that the Palestinians have their rights respected and we will closely cooperate with our Arab partners, on to how to build this further, before we discuss any kind of additional funding.
Thank you.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-268924
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