Ruptly
"The EU Commission on Friday said that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy's visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE serves as a 'sign of solidarity' with its strategic partners in the Gulf - despite Kaja Kallas appearing to accuse the Gulf of failing to help on Ukraine. "I will start with the first in terms of the visit of the high rep to the Gulf and in particular to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This is obviously a sign of solidarity to our strategic partners in the Gulf that have been severely, harshly and hardly hit by indiscriminate Iranian strikes in the Gulf that we have unequivocally condemned. So this is the action of the High Representative in her capacity of EU chief diplomat," they said. "Of course we can all do more," Kallas told a media outlet on Thursday, but also said the bloc had to think of its own, in terms of Russia and Ukraine." "We haven't seen, you know, really the Gulf countries helping us there". She also said support "can't be only a one-way street." The UAE recently hosted trilaterals with the US, Russia and Ukraine. The spokesperson also said that it welcomes Israel's announcement of initiating peace talks with Lebanon, calling for an 'immediate cessation' of attacks on Beirut. "We will look forward to the concrete start of the talks and their outcomes [...] We demand the immediate cessation of attacks in Lebanon, which have already taken a heavy, heavy toll on civilians and civilian infrastructure," he said. "All parties must fully comply with international humanitarian law, ensuring the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure, UN peacekeepers, namely UNIFIL, and humanitarian personnel," he continued. European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho noted that the effects of the Middle East conflict are having tangible impacts on EU markets. She also announced that EU President Ursula von der Leyen is calling for a discussion next Monday to assess the impact of this conflict across various policy areas, including the EU economy, energy, and transport. The US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire on Tuesday night, shortly before Donald Trump’s deadline for a deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran's armed forces would halt 'defensive operations' if attacks against the country ceased."
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