LONDON

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday decried the “very grave” situation in Gaza, stressing that “that’s why we need to see a real improvement on the ground."

While an agreement was reached last week with Israel on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, words alone are not enough, she told reporters ahead of an EU-Southern Neighborhood ministerial meeting in Brussels.

“One thing is to agree on paper, but the other thing is to see this agreement being implemented. We don’t see enough improvement on the ground,” she said.

She added that more aid trucks are now entering Gaza, but insisted this is “not enough” and called for stronger implementation of the deal.

“Everybody has stressed that they want to see improvement of the situation on the ground for the people,” Kallas said. “That is definitely the question we will have today.”

She also confirmed that Iran would be discussed at the meeting, including nuclear negotiations and broader regional concerns.

Ukraine

Turning to the war in Ukraine, Kallas welcomed recent statements by US President Donald Trump: “It is very positive that President Trump is taking a strong stance on Russia. On the other hand, 50 days is a very long time if we see that they are killing innocent civilians every day.”

“It’s clear that we all need to put more pressure on Russia so that they would also want peace,” she continued. “It’s good that Americans are making the steps. And I hope that they are also giving military aid — like Europeans are giving.”

Trump on Monday threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia if no peace deal is reached within 50 days.

He also announced that the US would supply Ukraine with weapons through NATO, but said European allies would cover the full cost.

US Patriot missile systems, he said, would be delivered to Ukraine “within days.”

The meeting, co-chaired by Kallas and EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica, brings together top officials from across the region — including, notably, Syria for the first time in 11 years. Topics include regional security, economic cooperation, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.