Its High Representative on Foreign Policy, coming to the European Council of Defense Ministers in Copenhagen, the capital of its presidential country for the current EU semester, said that the debate on the agenda is the war against Ukraine.
“The attacks show that he simply fools every peace effort that is being made. What we need to do is increase the pressure on Russia – that’s what he understands, ”he said.
As the “second issue we will discuss today is readiness. It is clear that we have different areas of abilities where we need to do more and I expect Member States to take a leading role in these areas. We need to be very specific and move on with specific projects. “
She was asked about security guarantees by saying that “at the EU level, our contribution to security guarantees is the educational mission, military mission and support of Ukraine’s defense industry. All three of these actions can also include neutral countries. We are also discussing the change of these missions today to be ready after a peace agreement. Every member state decides how to contribute. “
Soon new harsh sanctions in Russia
The High Representative also referred to the form of pressures on Russia, saying that “we are preparing it. There are many options, in the energy sector, secondary sanctions such as those of the US, and restrictions on financial services that prevent Russia from having access to funds. The discussions continue. Everyone understands that, with Putin fooling the peace efforts, only pressure works. “
In today’s European Council, the Ministers of Defense will discuss the Middle East “where there are no improvements”, as Mrs Calas pointed out. Referring to Iran, he said that “our concerns about Iran are clear, its nuclear program, its ballistic missiles and its support for Russia.”
