Kallas after the appointment of Sørensen: Stability is a priority in the Western Balkans

"In the Western Balkans, we continue to prioritize stability. And I am glad to announce that today the Council has appointed Peter  Sørensen as the EU's special envoy for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina", said Kallas at a press conference in Brussels, during which she spoke about a series of issues that were on the agenda of today's meeting of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs.

She pointed out that many urgent security issues were discussed during the meeting of the EU foreign ministers, starting with the security of Ukraine, and pointed out that Ukraine needs additional support, even though the EU has provided more than 134 billion euros to that country.

• Peter Sørensen "appointed"

"More military support for Ukraine and stronger sanctions against Russia are two sides of the same coin. More military support for Ukraine is also very important for our security," said Kallas and welcomed the EU ministers' decision to extend sanctions against Russia.

She added that today the EU has decided to provide 30 million euros to help Moldova purchase and transport gas.

Kallas said that they also discussed strengthening the security of Europe itself, claiming that Russia's hybrid actions are increasing in frequency and intensity.

"We have seen this throughout the European Union. In the Baltic Sea, large cases of damage to underwater facilities have been recorded," Kallas pointed out. She assessed that it is essential to increase the costs for those behind such attacks and said that this must "include stronger sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet".

Kallas pointed out that EU-US relations were also discussed and said that Europe and North America are stronger and safer together.