The head of European diplomacy urges the G7 to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and extend sanctions against Iran.
The European Union’s top diplomat on Thursday urged G7 foreign ministers to take rapid and concrete steps to deliver more air defense systems to Ukraine, warning that prolonged delays could tip the balance in favor of Moscow.
Without more Patriot air defense missile systems to guard against Russian strikes, “Ukraine’s electricity system will be destroyed. But no country can fight without electricity at home, in factories, on the line head on,” warned EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri, where Russia-led war in Ukraine and growing tensions in the Middle East following the attack without precedent of Iran against Israel were at the heart of the agenda.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Mr Borrell’s call, saying he hoped US funding for Ukraine would soon be approved by Congress, but that other allies had to intervene.
“At this moment, it is urgent that all friends and supporters of Ukraine maximize their efforts to provide Ukraine with what it needs to continue to effectively defend itself against Russian aggression,” Blinken said. after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opened the first working session by calling for new sanctions against Iran for its weekend attack and concrete help for Ukraine to defend itself against the invasion of Moscow.
“If Ukraine loses, Putin will never sit down at the negotiating table,” warned Mr. Tajani.
Russia’s war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas took center stage at the Capri meeting of foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, from Italy, Japan and the United States, which was a continuation of other regional diplomatic efforts aimed at sending the same messages.
On Wednesday, EU leaders meeting in Brussels promised to step up sanctions against Iran and targeted its deliveries of drones and missiles to its proxies in Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.
Mr Borrell said the EU’s existing sanctions regime would be strengthened and expanded to punish Tehran and help prevent future attacks on Israel. At the same time, he added, Israel must exercise restraint.
“I don’t want to exaggerate, but we are on the verge of a war, a regional war in the Middle East, which will have repercussions on the rest of the world, and in particular on Europe,” he said. he warned. “Then stop.”
Mr Kuleba and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended the Capri meeting as guests.
This article is originally published on fr.euronews.com
