By Tomas ORBAN
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has called for an emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday, June 17th, to discuss the EU's response to the war between Israel and Iran, and to urge both sides, especially Tel Aviv, to de-escalate through diplomatic means instead of continuing the airstrikes.
"Lasting security is built through diplomacy, not military action," Kallas said over the weekend, after speaking to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and noting a "dangerously high" risk of regional escalation.
Her comments echoed EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and several European leaders, such as Germany's, France's, and the UK's, who-albeit recognizing Israel's right to self-defense-have all urged for "restraint" going forward.
Regarding the Tuesday meeting, which is set to be held via video-link, Kallas' office said its goal will be to coordinate "diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran," and that Brussels remains "strongly committed to regional security and de-escalation," because a "lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue which can only be through a negotiated deal."
The situation in the Middle East is dangerous.I urge all parties to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation.
Diplomacy remains the best path forward, and I stand ready to support any diplomatic efforts toward de-escalation.
- Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 13, 2025
This newfound enthusiasm for diplomatic negotiations and the willingness to engage with both sides in a conflict are in stark contrast to the EU's Ukraine strategy over the past three years.
Brussels has not only refused to re-establish any diplomatic contact with Moscow since the invasion-threatening national leaders or EU lawmakers with disciplinary action if they did so bilaterally-but also actively discouraged Kyiv itself from negotiating before the Trump-led peace process began this year.
The EU's double standards are made all the more apparent when you put Kallas' remarks side by side with recent statements from EU officials on Ukraine. "Diplomacy will not help-only strength," said Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius this month, while von der Leyen talked about the need to turn Ukraine into a "steel porcupine" with Western arms before it could negotiate from a stronger position.
Nonetheless, Israel is not ready to back down, whatever the position of Brussels. "For years, there was containment-it didn't work," Israel's EU Ambassador Haim Regev said on Saturday, adding that the weekend's strikes were just the "beginning."
"We achieved most of our goals, for the beginning not for the whole operation. It's well planned, and it's going according to the plan. We'll keep attacking central command facilities. It's ongoing-still not the end," Regev said.
Although stating that negotiations will have to play a role in the endgame to make sure Iran will not resume its nuclear project, the ambassador said the current military campaign "is the only way to gain stability in the region."
Original article: europeanconservative.com