EU fails to reach agreement on sanctions against Russia

The EU Foreign Affairs Council, attended by the foreign ministers of European Union (EU) countries, failed to reach an agreement on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Slovakia requested that the vote on the 18th sanctions package be postponed.

Speaking after the meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated that the meeting covered the war in Ukraine and Russia's use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, saying, "All of this clearly shows that Russia does not want peace. In response, the European Union is about to approve one of the toughest sanctions packages against Russia."

Expressing her deep regret that the 18th sanctions package against Russia could not be adopted today, Kallas said, "We were very close to convincing Slovakia. The Commission has fulfilled everything Slovakia requested. The ball is now in Slovakia's court, and we need to reach an agreement now."

Stating that they also welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to send more weapons to Ukraine, Kallas said, "If America and Europe act together, serious negotiation pressure can be put on Putin. The only way to make Putin end this war is to force his hand."

"WE WILL BE READY TO ACT"

Noting that the second major topic of the meeting was the Middle East and Gaza, Kallas said, "Last week, the European Union and Israel reached an agreement on expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza. We are seeing positive signs in this regard. More trucks and humanitarian aid supplies are reaching Gaza. More entry points are being opened and power lines are being repaired. However, Israel needs to take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. The European Union will closely monitor whether Israel fulfills this agreement and its commitments, and will update the situation every two weeks."

Stating that she presented a list of measures that could be taken against Israel to the ministers of EU member states, in line with the examinations requested by the European Council, Kallas said, "We held a discussion on this, and at this point, the decision belongs to the member states. We will keep these options on the table, and if Israel does not fulfill its commitments, we will be ready to act. The goal here is not to punish Israel, but to improve the situation in Gaza."

"EU IS READY FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN"

Emphasizing that issues related to Iran were also discussed at the meeting and that the position that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons was reaffirmed, Kallas stated that the EU is ready to restart negotiations, saying, "Even if the ceasefire is fragile, it offers an opportunity to restart negotiations."

Stating that the Georgian Dream Party's attacks on democracy in Georgia are becoming increasingly violent and that the ministers also discussed what could be done in this regard today, Kallas said, "This includes sanctions, as well as the suspension of the visa-free regime and the association agreement. There will be a price for Georgia's democratic backsliding."

Stating that the agenda regarding Moldova was also discussed at the meeting, Kallas said, "Moldova is preparing for a highly critical election process. There are parliamentary elections in the autumn, and these elections will be the primary target of Moscow's hybrid war."

Stating that the foreign ministers reached an agreement on imposing sanctions on individuals and entities aimed at destabilizing Moldova, Kallas announced that a consensus was also reached on providing support to Moldova against hybrid attacks ahead of the elections.

"A SITUATION RELATED TO DOMESTIC POLITICS"

When asked about Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's statement that the guarantees offered by the EU were insufficient and that they wanted to be exempted from the EU's move to ban the import of Russian gas, High Representative Kallas said, "These discussions have actually been going on for some time, and as you can see, the Commission President also sent a letter to the Slovak Prime Minister reiterating all the points that truly address the concerns. Everything seemed to be going well until now. So I don't know what happened in between. It is probably a situation related to domestic politics."

Emphasizing that they spent a great deal of effort today for the 18th sanctions package against Russia and that discussions will continue at a technical level tomorrow, Kallas said, "I am still optimistic and I hope we will reach this decision tomorrow."

"CHEMICAL ATTACK WAS CARRIED OUT"

Answering a question about the use of chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine, Kallas said, "This is based on information from Dutch and German intelligence that these weapons were used. Of course, the intensification of this use is also mentioned in sources belonging to state institutions. The Dutch Ministry of Defense announced this to the public; I will not read the details here, but let me say this: since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has carried out more than 9,000 chemical weapon attacks against Ukrainian troops. It was quite surprising for me to hear this too. This is a very serious figure indeed."

When asked about the next Foreign Affairs Council being held in October, the continued killing of Palestinian civilians, and how the EU will follow Israel's steps, Kallas said, "Of course, the implementation of the agreement is very important. We see some worrying signs, but at the same time, there are some positive signs. So, as I said, we see that border crossings are opening. We see more trucks entering Gaza. There are also developments such as the repair of the power grid, but frankly, it is not enough. The humanitarian situation is still in an unsustainable state."

Emphasizing that EU teams are in constant contact with international actors on the ground, Israel, and neighboring countries that control the border gates, Kallas stated, "This way, they can directly report how many trucks have passed and how much aid has reached."

Kallas said, "If the situation does not improve, member states are ready to take the next steps. Because the main goal is to improve the situation. The humanitarian situation is at an truly unbearable level. We reached this agreement last week. Today, we received information from our Jordanian counterparts that there is more aid entry. There are some positive signs. But of course, it is clear that much more needs to be done."

Slovakia, which did not approve the 18th sanctions package against Russia, wants to continue purchasing gas from Russia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had requested the European Commission to allow Slovakia to purchase natural gas from Russia until 2034, and had threatened that if this request was rejected, he would continue to block the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia.

News Source: İHA