Latest news with #Kallas
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
EU accused of ‘cruel and unlawful betrayal' of Palestinians over failure to confront Israel
The EU has been accused of a 'cruel and unlawful betrayal' of Palestinians and European values after failing to take action to impose sanctions on Israel over the war in Gaza. The stinging rebuke from Amnesty International, echoed by other human rights organisations, came after EU ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday declined to endorse any measures to sanction Israel over the brutal war in Gaza and endemic violence in the West Bank. The EU's most senior diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc would keep 'options on the table' to pressure Israel's government if there was no improvement in the 'catastrophic' humanitarian situation in Gaza. According to several diplomatic sources she did not endorse any one of 10 sanctions options drawn up by her team, after an earlier EU review found 'indications' Israel was in breach of human rights commitments. Kallas said Israel needed to 'take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground', which earlier in the day she had described as catastrophic. She was meeting EU foreign affairs ministers days after announcing a potentially significant agreement with Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where 2.1 million people face famine and drought caused by the collapse of water systems. EU sources say the flow of aid into the territory has increased to about 80 trucks a day, but distribution remains problematic. With no clear signs that new aid inflows were reaching people over the weekend, Palestinians have continued to risk their lives queueing for food and water at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed logistics group. Officials in Gaza reported that in one 24-hour period over the weekend, 139 people were killed, including women and children queuing for food. The UN said about 850 Palestinians in the enclave had been killed while waiting to receive aid since May, both at GHF distribution points and elsewhere. Ministers were not expected to endorse any of the 10 sanctions options, which include full suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, a trade and cooperation deal. Suspending this deal is widely seen as a non-starter as it requires the unanimous support of member states. Israel's closest EU allies – Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic – oppose sanctions, especially now Israel has struck a humanitarian deal with the EU. Hungary also continues to veto EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Even countries strongly supportive of the Palestinian cause, such as Ireland, have not called for any specific measures, but await proposals from Kallas. Only Spain has come out clearly for a suspension of the association agreement. Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said refusal to suspend the agreement with Israel 'is a cruel and unlawful betrayal of the European project and vision, predicated on upholding international law and fighting authoritarian practices, of the European Union's own rules and of the human rights of Palestinians'. She added: 'This will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful moments in the EU's history.' Claudio Francavilla, the acting EU director of Human Rights Watch in Brussels, said: 'Once again, EU ministers have failed. Not enough support for any measure to hold Israel to account, traded away for the illusory promise of a few more trucks.' Earlier in the day, Kallas said there were positive signs on border crossings, arrival of humanitarian aid trucks, reconstruction of electricity lines and water, but 'of course we need to see more in order to see real improvement for the people on the ground'. She said the EU would keep a 'close watch' on how the agreement was implemented, with updates to European diplomats once a fortnight. According to the EU, the agreement with Israel means 'the substantial increase of daily trucks for food and non-food items to enter Gaza' among other measures, including the repair of power supplies to Gaza's critical water desalination facility. Kallas said member states had a discussion on the options paper, but she did not take ownership of any proposal. 'These are the choices that member states have to make,' she told reporters. 'We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges. The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the situation in Gaza.' Speaking on Monday, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, expressed confidence the EU would not take any action, saying: 'There's no justification whatsoever.' Hadja Lahbib, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, struck a more urgent tone, saying it was clear the agreement was not yet fully implemented: 'My message to the Israeli authorities is very clear. Put this agreement into action now. Stop killing the people. We need humanitarian aid: food, water, fuel to reach the people in need.' Lahbib, who briefed ministers about the aid deal, added that 'it was important to know what we can do if the agreement is not fully implemented' and that the situation would need to have improved before the next formal gathering of foreign ministers in October. 'Every minute lost is a life lost,' she said. Read More Israel-backed aid organisation in Gaza says 20 killed at distribution site
Euronews
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Georgia's visa-free regime with EU at risk over 'backsliding' concerns
The EU plans to reintroduce its visa regime with Georgia if Tbilisi does not curb what the 27-member bloc and its institutions described as "backsliding of democratic principles," Brussels announced on Tuesday. The European Commission is to send a letter to the executive in Tbilisi, suspending the visa liberalisation regime in place since 2017, by 31 August. "The assault on democracy by Georgian Dream (the ruling party) is growing more severe," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the final press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. "What can we do? This includes suspending the visa-free regime, the association agreement and sanctions," she explained. The possible suspension of the visa-free regime creates concerns among member states. Controversial measures Some ministers who attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels fear that the restrictive measure may harm the Georgian people without affecting the country's leadership, and may backfire against the EU's interests. In Georgia, 80% of the public is pro-European, whereas, according to the EU, the current government of the South Caucasian country is serving the interests of Moscow. "We think that restrictions should be put on those who are responsible for repression and not on the people of Georgia," Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski commented at the end of the Council. For Kallas, the EU should be consistent with its political principles and needs. "So far we have got this position that we don't want to hurt Georgian people. And taking away the visa-free regime, it's really having an impact on them, but at the same time it's also an issue of credibility of the EU," Kallas said. According to Georgian Dream, the ruling party controlled by millionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, the EU seeks to influence and intimidate Georgian public opinion, given the municipal elections scheduled for next October. Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the Georgian Dream Party, slammed the threats of a possible suspension of Georgia's visa-free regime. "All of this is part of the blackmail we have been seeing in recent years, especially since (Russia's) war broke out," Kaladze said. 'Georgia did not submit to (EU and NATO) demands, did not join the sanctions, did not allow a 'second front' to open in the country". Is the EU losing Georgia? The European Parliament adopted last week in Strasbourg a strongly worded resolution against what the EU legislators call 'the self-proclaimed authorities established by the Georgian Dream party following the rigged parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024." According to the Georgian Dream, the opposition is working against the national interest along with the EU. "They (the opposition) were defeated in the October parliamentary elections. Their actions are beyond any decency, and now we hear these statements. However, when it comes to the country and its interests, compromise is unimaginable,' concluded Kaladze. Last autumn's elections sparked a wave of protests that lasted more than six months, primarily against the government in Georgia, amid accusations of election fraud. The EU is highly concerned by the wave of detentions carried out by the Georgian authorities against journalists and some members of the opposition. The authorities arrested at least seven opposition figures in recent months. Tobias Cremer, a German MEP from the Socialist and Democrats (S&D) group, was one of the principal authors of the European Parliament's resolution on Georgia. Cramer told Euronews that the democratic backsliding in Georgia is occurring intentionally with the support of Russia and its allies within the Georgian executive, legislative, and judicial systems. "We also have to look at those in the system who are unlawfully trying to divert the cause of justice", he said. No agreement on sanctions Recent arrests and convictions of political activists and journalists have raised alarm in the EU about the Georgian justice system. This is why targeted sanctions against specific judges and government officials have been proposed, so far without success, as there is no consensus among the member states. On 24 June, politician Giorgi Vashadze of the centrist Strategy Aghmashenebeli party was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to testify in an official probe that Georgian Dream's critics call an act of political revenge. The day before, three other opposition figures were handed comparable sentences after refusing to cooperate with the same parliamentary inquiry investigating alleged wrongdoings by the government of former President Mikhail Saakashvili, who is still in prison. Last month, Kaladze dismissed allegations that any of the arrests had been politically motivated, saying politicians aren't exempt from the law. "I think we all know very well why these people are detained. They broke the law, they didn't appear at the commission. The status of a politician or any other person cannot be an incentive to break the law," he said. Georgia applied for EU membership in March 2022, along with Ukraine and Moldova, and was granted candidate country status in December 2023. Just months later, growing concerns and disagreements between Brussels and the Georgian government prompted the two sides to freeze the enlargement process. As a result, the financial support from the European Peace Facility, worth €30 million, was suspended in 2024, and no support is planned for this year. Meanwhile, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told Euronews in May that his country plays a 'vital role for Europe." 'Everyone should recognise Georgia's strategic importance for Europe, especially for the eurozone. Our role in the region is significant, and that's why the need for dialogue with Georgian leaders is increasingly acknowledged,' he added. Georgian troubled decades Russian troops attacked Georgia in August 2008, just three months after a crucial NATO summit in Bucharest that welcomed Tbilisi and Kyiv's aspirations to open membership talks. The Russian army occupied South Ossetia and Abkhazia within a few weeks. These two regions are still under Moscow's control. Since the 2008 war, the Georgian government has had to find a balance between the EU aspirations of almost 80% of its population and the understanding of the strategic priorities of its northern neighbour, Russia, especially after it started its all-out war against Ukraine in early 2022. In fact, despite its EU candidacy, Tbilisi has not aligned with EU sanctions against Russia. In 2024, the Georgian parliament passed the foreign agents law, a legislative measure that significantly restricted the activities of foreign-funded NGOs in the country. Kallas has also threatened to suspend the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2016. Association treaties are binding agreements between the EU and third countries that establish enhanced trade, economic and political cooperation in return for political and legislative reforms compatible with the principles of the Union. The benefits for the contracting countries may also include the trade most-favoured-nation clause, as the association agreement often provides for a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement. Similarly, the EU expressed concerns when Georgia ratified a free trade agreement with China in 2018.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
EU backs Trump Ukraine U-turn but wants US to 'share burden'
Kaja kallas The European Union's foreign affairs chief may be having something of an "I told you so" moment as US President Donald Trump reverses his past praise of Vladimir Putin and vows to ramp up pressure on Moscow. "We see from the United States that they have also realized that Russia does not really want peace," Kaja Kallas told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday. The former Estonian prime minister made a name for herself as one of Ukraine's staunchest political backers, and warned at this week's EU talks that Russia's bombing campaign had "reached record levels." Kallas and many of her EU counterparts welcomed Washington's shift in rhetoric as they filed into a meeting. "What we experienced yesterday with the new messages from Trump was very, very important," Denmark's Lars Lokke Rasmussen said. But some of the EU's top brass also had notes for the US on its latest announcements, including Washington's threat to slap 100% secondary tariffs on Russia and countries that trade with it unless a peace deal with Ukraine is reached by early September. "The 50 days that Mr. Trump has announced is rather long," Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said on the sidelines of Tuesday's talks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Birla Evara 3 and 4 BHK from ₹ 1.75 Crore* Birla Estates Learn More Undo Weapons deal details still under discussion Trump also made headlines Monday with anannouncement that he'd be greenlighting sales of Patriot air defense systems and other arms to European countries to send on to Ukraine, just two weeks after Washington paused some arms shipments to Kyiv. The new plan should speed up and expand deliveries of US arms which Ukraine says it needs as it faces increased Russian aerial attacks. Some European countries have already been buying and sending US-made weapons to Kyiv, though the latest scheme could offer more certainty on the permissions needed to swiftly transfer the arms. A US commitment to sell replacements for American-made weapons sent to Ukraine could also encourage European states to ship more of their own military supplies. NATO chief Mark Rutte said the deal would "work through NATO systems" and that European countries including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands were all interested in taking part. But the US is yet to disclose more details of its new scheme and DW understands the technicalities of exactly how it will work are still being discussed. EU says US should 'share the burden' Trump was, however, quick to cast the new deal as a lucrative business opportunity for the US, stressing Europe would foot the bill. And that seems to be raising some eyebrows among his counterparts across the Atlantic. The EU's Kallas told reporters after Tuesday's meeting that she would like to see Europe and the US "share the burden" of arming Ukraine. "If we pay for these weapons, it's our support — so it's European support — and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine. And therefore the call is that everybody would do the same," she said. "If you promise to give the weapons then say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it's not really given by you, is it?" Kallas added. Denmark's Rasmussen made a similarly veiled allusion. "We are providing a lot of funding for Ukraine to buy whatever weapons and ammunition they need … But I mean, I would very much like to see all our partners actually also contributing if we want this war to stop," he said. While the US ranks as Ukraine's single largest donor since its full-scale invasion by Russia, the European Union as a whole has spent roughly the same amount as Washington over the same period, according to data from the Kiel Institute cited by Radio Free Europe. The EU outspends the US when the cost of hosting and assisting Ukrainian refugees is factored in. Turning point or just one U-Turn? EU states may be breathing a sigh of relief after the US policy shift, but policy analyst Torrey Taussig says it's too soon to judge whether Trump's stance has changed for good. "There has been a seesaw approach to this relationship throughout the last several months of this administration, and I wouldn't be surprised if this relationship, the US-Ukrainian relationship, still has more turns that it can take," the former US government official turned Atlantic Council fellow told DW. "I'm very reluctant to call this a strategic shift in the US-Ukrainian relationship," she added, though added that the two sides' ties now seem far more "positive." Bye-bye to 'Buy European'? With European countries racing to boost their own defenses amid pressure from the US and a broader rethink of the EU's geopolitical fragility, governments have been debating how much of a planned military spending splurge should go to US weapons. Arms purchases, especially those involving large weapons systems, tend to lock the buyer into a years-long relationship with the seller, from production to delivery to future repairs. Experts say ending Europe's dependency on the American-made weapons, logistics and intelligence capacities it lacks could take at least a decade — and with US foreign policy proving unpredictable, that leaves some worried. EU heavyweight France has pushed for more European-only purchases, frustrating some other states which argued this only serves to slow down the process of getting weapons into European and Ukrainian hands. The latest US-led plan may be seen by some as a blow to France's efforts, with the potential for more European money to flow toward US arms manufacturers. EU fails to greenlight fresh round of Russia sanctions As Europe nudges the US to do more to support Ukraine and punish Russia, the bloc's own efforts are faltering. Kallas said she was "really sad" that ministers failed to adopt an 18th round of EU sanctions on Moscow on Tuesday due to a holdout by Slovakia. The landlocked central European state has been protesting planned EU laws to ban all sales of Russian gas, and Prime Minister Roberto Fico said in an online post on Tuesday that Slovakia had asked the EU to postpone the vote on sanctions while his government mulled its response to an exchange with the EU's executive aimed at ending the stalemate. Kallas said she was "optimistic" an agreement could be struck among EU states in the coming days.
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
EU 'keeps options open' against Israel
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said the bloc was leaving the door open to action against Israel over the war in Gaza if the humanitarian situation does not improve. Kallas has put forward 10 potential options after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel. Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and there was no critical mass for taking any of the moves at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges," Kallas told journalists. "The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to really improve the situation in Gaza." That comes after Kallas on Thursday announced a deal with Israel to open more entry points and allow in more food. Gaza's two million residents face dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Jordan News
20 hours ago
- Business
- Jordan News
Kallas: We are waiting for concrete steps from Israel to finalize the agreement to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza
Kallas: We are waiting for concrete steps from Israel to finalize the agreement to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas, said that the EU has reached a "common understanding" with Israel to improve the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, stressing that "the challenge now is actual implementation on the ground, not just paper agreements." اضافة اعلان Kallas added, in remarks upon her arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, that the EU has observed positive signs represented by the reopening of some crossings, repairing power lines, and increasing the entry of aid trucks. However, she emphasized the need for "more concrete measures to achieve a real improvement for the residents of the Strip." She explained that the ministers will also discuss the Iranian file, with deadlines approaching for the "snap-back" mechanism linked to the nuclear deal, confirming Brussels' readiness to return to the diplomatic track to preserve regional security. Regarding Ukraine, Kallas welcomed the announcement by the United States to provide new weapons to Kyiv and revealed that the EU is "very close" to adopting the eighteenth package of sanctions against Moscow, expecting its approval "today or tomorrow." She added that European efforts "always require negotiation and broad partnerships," affirming that the EU will continue to pressure Russia through sanctions and the oil price cap, even if G7 countries proceed without Washington on this matter. The new round of sanctions related to the war in Ukraine stalled for weeks due to a dispute with Slovakia over separate plans for a gradual halt to Russian gas imports and Malta's refusal to set a price cap. Slovak President Robert Fico, who is close to Russia, hinted at the possibility of abandoning his opposition after talks with Brussels regarding plans to cut Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. Officials said the EU is also nearing agreement on a plan to lower the price cap for Russian oil exports to third countries worldwide. Kallas told reporters that the plan "is still on the table." This comes despite the failure of EU allies to convince US President Donald Trump to approve the plan. The price cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the revenues Russia earns from exporting oil to countries around the world. The oil price cap set by the G7 at $60 in 2022 aims to limit the price at which Moscow can sell oil globally by preventing shipping and insurance companies dealing with Russia from exporting above this price. Under the EU's new plan, which is expected to be supported by G7 countries such as the UK and Canada, the EU will set a new flexible price below the market value. This price currently equals $47.6 according to internal EU discussions seen by AFP. AFP
