UPDATE - EU foreign policy chief calls on US to put more pressure on Russia

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER RADOSLAW SIKORSKI

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief on Monday addressed a series of pressing topics ahead of security talks in Madrid, emphasizing the importance of continued support for Ukraine and increased pressure on Russia to halt its ongoing war.

Senior diplomats and foreign ministers from several European countries, including France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the UK, gathered in Madrid for the "Weimar+" format discussions aimed at enhancing European security.

Kaja Kallas began by acknowledging the ongoing challenges surrounding the situation in Ukraine, stressing the urgency of international involvement.

"So it's good to be here. We have many topics to discuss. I mean, first of course, Ukraine, what more can we do to help Ukraine and also the peace process."

The EU foreign policy chief expressed concern over Russia's alleged lack of cooperation in the peace process, particularly after Ukraine had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire three weeks ago.

"What we can see is that we are now three weeks into the time where Ukraine was agreeing to unconditional ceasefire and three weeks don’t have Russia. Russia is playing games and not really wanting peace," Kallas said.

Highlighting the need for stronger action, Kallas questioned how Europe could put more pressure on Russia to end the war. "So our question is, how can we put more pressure on Russia?" she asked, before proposing concrete steps to demonstrate goodwill from Moscow.

"I think what we need is also Russia to agree through this ceasefire, to move on, to show goodwill by, you know, giving back the Ukrainian children that have been deported to Russia, or releasing the prisoners of war. I mean, many things that they can show."

Kallas emphasized the importance of the US role in the global effort to halt the conflict. "I think us also has the role to put more pressure on Russia to stop this war," she said.

The talks also touched on strengthening Europe’s collective defense, and underlined the importance of unity in the face of growing security threats. "And then, of course, we will also discuss our own defense. What more can we do to use the tools we already have to make us all stronger, and the strongest tool we have is our unity. So we need to work for that as Europe facing all these threats coming our way," she said.

- 'Russia is not only bombing in Ukraine, it is conducting hybrid war against all of us'

"Russia is not only bombing in Ukraine, it is conducting a hybrid war against all of us. Here in Spain, there is disinformation. There are attempts at political manipulation, but in many countries, we also have other elements of hybrid war just below the threshold of kinetic action," said Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

"In Poland, we've had arsons, we have espionage. We have the cuttings of energy and data cables under sea. We have aggressive propaganda," he added.

Sikorski stressed the importance of building resilience across Europe to counter these hybrid threats.

"All of this needs building European resilience, and we need to treat defense, the rebuilding of defense industries, seriously. This is what I hope we'll be discussing," he said, underscoring the need for Europe to strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of these multifaceted challenges.

Turning to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Sikorski reiterated that no outcome from peace talks has yet been achieved.

He also commented on the international community's role in ensuring Ukraine's security moving forward.

"Ukraine, and no one else there has not yet been an outcome of any talks. If Ukraine requests security guarantees in the form of foreign presence, then the international community will decide what form that might take," Sikorski said.

"What it certainly is not to be permitted, is for Mr. Putin to dictate who may or may not be in Ukraine. That's the whole point of this defensive war by Ukraine, that it's Kyiv who decides."