The European Union believes that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons. Ukraine remains a top priority for the Union's foreign policy, but Hungary is blocking new sanctions against Moscow.

This was stated by the bloc's high representative for foreign policy and security, Kaja Kallas, after the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, reported BGNES special correspondent Dimitar Ruskov from the Belgian capital.

Regarding Iran, she said that “a new war is a dangerous development” for the region.

“The EU has always emphasized that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, as this would pose a threat to international security.”

“Military action always involves risks and uncertainty. It is now important to minimize the risk of further escalation,” she added.

Kallas was adamant that Ukraine remains a “top priority” and called on countries to “respond with strength” to Russia's ongoing aggression.

She warned of “Russia's hybrid war against European countries.”

On China, Kallas noted Beijing's role as a “key factor in Russia's war against Ukraine,” its “coercive trade practices,” and cyberattacks against European forces, which “make it increasingly difficult to continue bilateral relations as before.”

Kallas also addressed the threat by Hungary and Slovakia to block the new, 18th package of sanctions against Russia.

She noted that “Hungary's blocking is nothing new.”

“We have seen this before, so we are working on the issue to get the package adopted. We are proposing a fairly strict package, but we will see what compromises we will have to make to get everyone on board,” Kallas explained.

On Israel, she stressed that ministers had discussed the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, explaining: “Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground.”

The EU's top diplomat said diplomats had a “very extensive and intense discussion” on the issue and agreed that the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip needs to improve.

“We will be in contact with Israel to see how we can improve the situation on the ground, this is the priority of the member states.”

She added that the review was “very clear.” Brussels' main concern is humanitarian aid. According to Callas, Israel is violating Article 2 of the Association Agreement and it is necessary to insist on “concrete improvements for the lives of people in Gaza.”

“If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss new measures and return to this issue in July,” she added.

“The most important thing now is to improve the situation on the ground, improve the lives of the people in Palestine and put an end to the suffering and human casualties we see there every day,” the diplomat said. | BGNES