Iran is distracting attention from Ukraine. Sikorski and Kallas: The Middle East cannot overshadow the tragedy
American-Russian negotiations towards Ukraine must be a process thanks to which Ukraine will be within safe borders and will be able to negotiate its membership in the European Union – said on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski after an informal meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
In turn, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who joined Wednesday's meeting, emphasized that despite the difficult situation in the Middle East, we should not forget about the situation of Ukraine and constantly support Kiev. Sikorski and Kallas appeared at a joint press conference on Wednesday.
Sikorski informed that the talks between the Council's Foreign Ministers focused primarily on policy within NATO, also in the perspective of the upcoming alliance summit in Ankara, and on how to support Ukraine in negotiations to end Russian aggression. They also discussed – as Sikorski reported – the prospects of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
– We want the NATO summit to be a success, for Europe's standing towards the United States to increase, so that we can influence the outcome of the US-Russian negotiations towards Ukraine – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He added that it must be a process from which “a new balance will emerge on the European continent” and thanks to which Ukraine “will be within safe borders and will be able to develop and gravitate towards Europe, negotiate its membership in the European Union.”
– And it must be a process that will not only ensure Ukraine, but also us, that Russia will not be capable of aggression again – he emphasized.
Kallas, in turn, speaking about the situation in the Middle East, said that Iran's strategy is to “sow chaos and set the entire region on fire.” She said the Iranian regime was “blindly” attacking its neighbors. She estimated that the best scenario would be a democratic Iran that does not pose a threat to its neighbors, but – she noted – it is not known how this war will develop. She emphasized that this is a difficult moment for Europe due to the safety of many of its citizens who are currently in the region. She assured that the EU was coordinating consular assistance and trying to provide them with return flights.
She also announced that a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers with their counterparts from the Persian Gulf countries would be held on Thursday.
Kallas emphasized that despite the difficult situation in the Middle East, the situation in Ukraine should not be forgotten. She argued that Europe cannot react in a limited and minimalist way because this is what Russia demands. In her opinion, another package of sanctions should be adopted against this country, including a full ban on the export of Russian oil by sea. She assessed that this would be particularly important in a situation where oil prices are rising due to the current crisis.
– Moscow may have lost another ally – Tehran – but the same drones as those attacking Dubai still hit buildings in Kiev – she recalled. “There is no reason to assume that Russian aggression is slowing down,” she added. As she noted, Russia still sets unrealistic conditions for peace. According to Kallas, Ukraine's expectations, such as respect for its borders, compensation for war losses and the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children, are “not fanciful demands, but fundamental.”
According to Kallas, “we must continue to support Ukraine.” – We agreed to provide Ukraine with a loan of EUR 90 billion and we must transfer these funds – she noted. – We are also working on the EU's contribution to security guarantees, through our missions, support to the Ukrainian defense industry and monitoring the ceasefire. The ministers clearly announced that the strategic goal is Ukraine's accession to the EU, it is also an important security guarantee that the EU can offer, she said.
Sikorski and Kallas were also asked whether they shared concerns that the ongoing war in the Middle East would distract attention from Ukrainian affairs.
The head of EU diplomacy noted that during the talks, the heads of the Foreign Affairs emphasized that the war in Ukraine cannot disappear from the EU's sight because it constitutes a direct threat to Europe. She added that what is disturbing is that “all the capabilities that are suddenly needed in the Middle East are also needed in Ukraine.”
Sikorski, in turn, talked about thousands of Iranian Shahed drones that hit countries that did not attack Iran. He recalled that tens of thousands of such drones had previously struck Ukraine. He expressed hope that “US policymakers realize that Russia and Iran are in this together and that they need to respond to it.”
They were both also asked about the ballistic missile intercepted by NATO and launched from Iran, which was heading towards Turkey.
– We are monitoring the situation and responding to requests from individual countries. In NATO we have art. 4th and 5th; EU countries have Article 42.7 (of the EU mutual defense treaty – PAP) – she said, while emphasizing that applications in this matter would have to come from the countries concerned. As she noted, this did not happen.
Sikorski, in turn, noted that Iran is expanding the scope of the war in the region to include countries that have not attacked it. He said it was a mistake. (PAP)
wni/ ugw/
