EU Foreign Minister: Clear signal against Russia and Israel!

EU Foreign Minister: Clear signal against Russia and Israel!

On August 29, 2025, the EU foreign ministers discussed the tense situation in Ukraine and the Middle East. Kaja Kallas, Estonia's foreign minister, called on Russia to stop violence and begin negotiations after the devastating airstrikes. In parallel, Ursula von der Leyen announced new sanctions against Russia to increase pressure on the country and support a just peace for Ukraine. These new measures are intended in particular to reduce Russia's revenues in the energy sector and weaken the military-industrial complex, according to Germany.representation.

The discussion about sanctions takes place in the context of the broader political disputes in Europe. Kallas emphasizes that the EU must stand together firmly to stop Russia's aggressive course. On June 27, 2025, the EU states had already decided to extend the existing sanctions against Russia by six months, but did not decide to tighten the measures. This gave additional importance to the 18th sanctions package, which was recently passed.

Criticism of Israel's actions

While Ukraine is at the forefront of the talks, criticism of Israel's actions in the region is also growing. Some EU states had already called for consequences to be drawn in the summer after a critical report on the situation in Gaza was published. In this context, the suspension of the EU association agreement with Israel could be discussed on Saturday. However, Austrian Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger rejects such a measure. She was responding to an open letter from 26 leading diplomats calling for the measures.

Meinl-Reisinger highlights the unbearable humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for diplomatic solutions to end the fighting and provide humanitarian aid. Austria is committed to Israel's security and emphasizes the need to respect international humanitarian law. This is in contradiction to the proposal to suspend the association agreement, which failed due to the veto of Germany and Austria at the EU summit, as Tagesschau reports.

Discussion about EU enlargement

Meinl-Reisinger also calls for security guarantees and accelerated EU enlargement for Ukraine. Together with ministerial colleagues from Germany, Italy and Slovenia, the Austrian Foreign Minister will present proposals for simplifying the EU enlargement process to EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. The aim is to promote the rapid accession of states as long as the conditions are met.

The EU is thereby sending a strong signal and emphasizing that the issues relating to the security of our continental household are crucial in order to meet challenges efficiently and in solidarity. Unity within the EU is therefore on the agenda, while at the same time urgent humanitarian challenges in Gaza and Ukraine must be addressed.