G7 Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting: press remarks High Representative / Vice-President Kaja Kallas

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Good day, everybody.

We are gathered here in the G7 meeting together with our partners, to discuss very topical issues. 

I think the two main issues on the table are the two great wars: one in Ukraine and the other one in the Middle East. 

We are discussing with our partners what kind of effect the wars have on them and what could be done to really have an off ramp from this war. 

We need to exit from the war, not escalate this further, because the consequences for everybody around the world are quite severe.

At the same time, we cannot forget about Ukraine. The attacks of Russia on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure are increasing still every day. And we just cannot overlook this. 

And of course, the oil price hike is giving also Russia a possibility to fund this war again, which is really not good for the Ukrainians.

So, we need to increase our bilateral support, but also the pressure on Russia to stop this war and to really negotiate in good faith.

Q&A

Q. Can I ask you a question, what sort of plans is the EU putting together to try and secure the Strait of Hormuz? Can you give us a few details? 

We have had discussions on the operations that we have in the region. So, we have the Operation Aspides that is already in the region and has a UN Security Council resolution under it. But right now, it is operating south of the Muscat line. So, the discussions were whether it is possible to increase the naval presence or to also increase the area. But at the moment, this operation is operating in the Red Sea. We also need to keep that navigation route open, because Houthis’ risk is there. There has not been a Houthis attack yet, but nobody can tell whether they will be activated again. So, we are contributing there. We have also the discussions on the Coalitions of the Willing for the Persian Gulf after the cessation of hostilities.

Q. What is your message to stop the war in Lebanon? You have said a few days ago that Lebanon and its population are being dragged into a war that would see these humanitarian consequences, what is your message today to stop all this?

This is exactly the situation, that people in Lebanon are dragged into this war. There are over a million people displaced in Lebanon right now. We have been calling Israel, as well as Hezbollah, to really stop the attacks. Hezbollah has dragged the Lebanese people into this war. It is also important that Israel and Lebanon sit down to negotiate, to have really a settlement and peace, so that these attacks will stop and the suffering of the people will stop. We see that the Lebanese government is making the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and we have to help them to do that, so that there would be stability. But of course, it is all interlinked with everything else that is happening in the Middle East.

Q. What concrete leverage do you have over the US and Israel? You seem to have limited influence. So, what action could you take to stop this war, as the European Union?

In terms of the global outreach that we are doing, all the countries in the world are one way or the other way affected by this war. So, it is in the interest of everybody that this war stops. And that is why we are also doing the outreach. We have global partners here today to have a unified message that we need an exit, not an escalation in this war. And that means there has to be a diplomatic solution so that this region will come out of it stronger and actually more peaceful. And therefore, it can only be a diplomatic solution,[to] sit down and negotiate, to have a way out. 

Q. You say that partners are here, but the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is not here today. We know he is coming tomorrow, but what sort of set message does that send when you have one of the key players who is not here today?

I cannot speak for him on why he cannot participate today, but it gives us also opportunities to discuss with our partners, to also stay on the message.

Q. On Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the US is pressuring them to cede territory and negotiations. Are you worried about this? And are you going to talk about it to Marco Rubio tomorrow? 

Of course, we are worried about this. We have seen this for a year already. Russia is really trying to achieve and get those territories, that they have not been able to conquer militarily in twelve years, to get those territories around the negotiation table. This is clearly a wrong approach. It is, of course, the Russian playbook of negotiations that they are demanding something that has never been theirs, and that is why we are also flagging that this is the trap that we should not walk into. Actually, in order to have a solution for this war, also, getting out of this circle that we have this war starting over and over again, we need to have clear concessions on the Russian side. So, if we, together - also with the Americans -, put pressure on Russia, then we could have an end to this war. And also a sustainable peace for a longer term. 

Q. Do you have plans to reach your Saudi counterpart and is there some sort of European mediation to put an end to the escalation in the Middle East?

Yes, I have a bilateral meeting also with Prince Faisal, and we are in contact with our regional partners all the time on how we can contribute to these talks. With Pakistan, with Egypt, there have been discussion and mediating this. It is not easy, because the two parties are quite far away from each other. But it is our firm understanding that, in the end, there has to be a diplomatic solution for this region to come out more strongly and being a peaceful region for a longer time. To eliminate the risks, the threats that are there posed by Iran to Israel, for example, the threats that they have presented so that we can exit this cycle of wars.

Q. High Representative, how do you plan to get the US [inaudible]. Will you be talking about Russia's support to Iran?

Exactly. We are raising this issue that we see that Russia is helping Iran with intelligence to target Americans, to kill Americans, and Russia is also supporting Iran now with the drones so that they can attack neighbouring countries and also US military bases. These wars are very much interlinked. If America wants the war in the Middle East to stop, Iran to stop attacking them, they should also put the pressure on Russia, so that they are not able to help them in this.  

Thank you very much.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/I-287141