EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was “little hope for imminent peace” in Ukraine after renewed Russian attacks on Kyiv and the sinking of civilian ships in the Black Sea.
Speaking after a meeting of E5 defence ministers in Paris, Kallas said Ukraine was facing “another brutal war winter” and that the EU’s task was to help it withstand attacks while raising the costs for Russia, the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported on Monday night.
The EU adopted its largest set of sanctions listings against Russia since the war began earlier this month, with more measures being prepared.
Kallas also said the EU’s action against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” — ships used to move oil and other cargo outside normal oversight — had stripped “hundreds” of illicit tankers of their flags.
She added that boardings by the EU, France and other member states were forcing vessels on to longer and more costly routes, and called for more pressure at maritime “choke points.”
Red Sea shipping and a new mission for Lebanon
The meeting also covered European defence readiness, with Kallas saying she had presented the EU’s first Defence Readiness Report to leaders in October and that record defence spending needed to translate into operational capabilities.
On the Middle East, Kallas warned of a “serious risk” of renewed escalation between the United States and Iran, and said Houthi forces had “indiscriminately struck” Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
She said the EU naval operation ASPIDES was helping keep cargo and oil moving through the Red Sea, and thanked France, Italy and Greece for their contributions.
More than 60 countries have joined an EU pledge opposing tolls and fees on international shipping routes, and navigation must remain unimpeded, Kallas noted.
She also announced that the EU was establishing a new mission to advise and train Lebanon’s Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, with support focused on territorial control, border security and internal security.
