Kaja Kallas
Kallas pushed through 250 Russia sanctions listings on July 14 but her settlement trade ban was blocked by Germany and Italy. Israeli FM Sa'ar escalated their personal freeze, calling her campaign "obsessive." She launched an €883.6M Gaza fund and warned of a sanctions "Plan B" if the 21st package stalls.
Kaja Kallas is running EU foreign policy across more simultaneous crises than the bloc's diplomatic machinery was designed to handle. This week alone she pushed through roughly 250 new Russia sanctions listings, the largest single addition since the invasion, launched an €883.6 million Gaza recovery fund, and opened strategic partnership talks with Bahrain, all while her push to ban EU trade with illegal Israeli settlements collapsed at the July 14 Foreign Affairs Council when Germany and Italy blocked it.
On Russia, the 250 listings are a down payment. The broader 21st sanctions package remains stalled over an oil price cap freeze opposed by Cyprus, Greece, and Malta, a Russian fighters entry ban with French and Italian reservations, and a German objection to an Alaskan pollock import ban. Kallas told ministers they are "quite close" to a deal but warned of a "Plan B" if no agreement is reached, noting failure would force the EU to raise its oil price cap to international levels and increase Russian oil revenues. She also confirmed EU intelligence that China's PLA secretly trained roughly 200 Russian personnel in 2025, calling China a decisive enabler of Russia's war.
On Israel, her position is deteriorating on two tracks. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar severed all personal diplomatic contact with her on June 18 and escalated publicly on July 12, calling her praise of Turkey "a masterclass in hypocrisy" and her settlement-trade effort "tricks." Kallas declined to retract or address reported apartheid comparisons. Her legal argument that settlement trade restrictions require only a majority vote was challenged by Germany and Italy, who insist it is a foreign policy decision needing unanimity.
She is also pressing to expand Operation Aspides into Strait of Hormuz mine-clearing, delivered a €420 million economic package to Armenia to counter Russian trade coercion, and warned Trump against falling into a Russian "trap" as European NATO members took the lead in confronting Moscow.
On their plate
EU foreign ministers approved roughly 250 new Russia sanctions listings on July 14, the largest single addition since the invasion, in response to Russian civilian attacks. But the broader 21st sanctions package remains stalled over a $44.10 oil price cap freeze opposed by Cyprus, Greece, and Malta, a Russian fighters entry ban with French and Italian reservations, and an Alaskan pollock import ban opposed by Germany. Kallas warned of a "Plan B" if no deal is reached, saying failure would force the EU to raise its oil price cap and increase Russian oil revenues.
Kallas pushed for a total EU trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements at the July 14 FAC, arguing it is an economic matter requiring only a majority vote, but Germany and Italy blocked it, insisting it is a foreign policy decision needing unanimity. She launched the €883.6M Team Gaza Initiative on July 13, calling the EU the most credible supporter for the Palestinian people. Israeli FM Sa'ar severed personal contact with her on June 18 and escalated publicly on July 12, calling her Turkey praise "a masterclass in hypocrisy" and her settlement push "tricks."
Kallas met Bahraini FM Al Zayani in Brussels on July 13 to launch EU-Bahrain Strategic Partnership Agreement negotiations focused on maritime security and Strait of Hormuz freedom of navigation. She previously applied the EU's new freedom-of-navigation sanctions regime against IRGC Navy officials and is pushing to expand Operation Aspides into a primary Hormuz mine-clearing role alongside a France-UK-led 15-nation coalition, a mandate change requiring unanimous approval from all 27 member states.
Kallas confirmed the EU independently verified that China's PLA secretly trained roughly 200 Russian personnel in 2025, approved by Defense Minister Belousov. She called China a decisive enabler of Russia's war, and the EU is assessing responses while balancing economic ties with Beijing.
Key relationships
Israeli FM Sa'ar severed all personal diplomatic contact with Kallas on June 18 after reported apartheid comparisons, and escalated publicly on July 12 and again at the July 14 FAC, calling her Turkey praise 'a masterclass in hypocrisy' and her settlement-trade push 'tricks.' The freeze applies to Kallas personally, not EU institutions.
Kallas met Bahraini FM Al Zayani in Brussels on July 13 to launch EU-Bahrain Strategic Partnership Agreement negotiations, focused on maritime security and Strait of Hormuz freedom of navigation against Iranian attacks on GCC states.
Kallas traveled to Dublin to pressure Taoiseach Martin and Irish FM McEntee to close the Aughinish Alumina sanctions loophole, a Rusal-owned refinery whose products feed Russian drones and missiles. Martin and McEntee cited 1,000 local jobs and energy-grid risks but pledged to share investigation findings with the Commission.
Kallas met Armenian FM Mirzoyan in Luxembourg to deliver a major economic support package of roughly €420M in customs-duty cuts and launch a new EU Partnership Mission in Armenia against cyberattacks and illicit financial flows, aimed at countering Russian trade coercion. She said Armenians 'voted for peace, sovereignty and closer ties with Europe.'
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