Remarks by HR/VP Kaja Kallas at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting – Plenary Session III: Supply chains

First, I agree with those colleagues who have called for a Black Sea ceasefire. And I also agree with Russia that we need to deal with the systemic problem that there is. The systemic problem is that Russia is trampling on international law and the UN Charter, and moreover, weaponizing everything - weaponizing food, weaponizing energy, weaponizing migration, weaponizing trade routes - to cause as many problems in the world as possible.

You [Russia] have made it abundantly clear that you don't care about Ukraine, but you have claimed that you care about Africa. So if you really care about Africa, most of the grain in the Black Sea is actually going to Africa. You would let the grain pass if you really cared about Africa because it is creating food insecurity and it is really urgent.

Adding to what Jean-Noël [Barrot] was saying and your accusing others of colonial wars, if any war today can be called colonial, Russia's war against Ukraine is the clearest example.

And finally on this point, there is a discrepancy in your narrative because on one side you are saying that your economy is not affected at all, but at the same time you are asking for sanctions to be lifted. So either it has an impact on your economy, or the sanctions could just remain. I agree with those points that Jean- Noël [Barrot] made - there is a solution, and you can show goodwill by starting with the Black Sea ceasefire.

Now, on more general points. All our economies depend on reliable access to critical minerals, and none can secure resilient supply chains alone.

Our shared challenge is to reduce vulnerabilities while expanding opportunities for trade, investment and development. The G20 brings together major producers and consumers. We should use that position to advance practical cooperation.

We have a common interest in preventing critical-mineral dependencies from becoming instruments of coercion. Disruptions and unpredictable restrictions affect industrial production, raise costs and undermine our economic development.

We should uphold predictable trade and fair competition in the interest of all of us. Greater transparency and dialogue over measures affecting supply would help reduce uncertainty and prevent disruptions from escalating into wider economic and political tensions.

Diversification should expand opportunities for producing and consuming countries alike. We need more viable sources of supply, more processing capacity and stronger connections between partners across the value chain.

Producer countries must benefit from this effort. Partnerships should support local value creation, skills, infrastructure and sustainable industrial development. The EU works with partner countries to ensure that reliable supply and development opportunities advance together.

There are three I's" - information-sharing, innovation and investment - that we agreed at voluntary level at G20, give us a very practical framework. Let us focus on what we can deliver together under each.

On information-sharing, we should improve our collective understanding of supply risks and emerging bottlenecks. Better exchanges on market developments, planned capacity and disruptions would help anticipate pressures and respond earlier.

Innovation, we should strengthen cooperation on recycling, resource efficiency and substitution. These can ease the pressure on primary supplies, reduce environmental impacts and open new opportunities for industry.

On investment, we should help turn diversification ambitions into viable projects. This means connecting producers, investors and buyers, addressing infrastructure and skills gaps, and also supporting predictable conditions for long-term investment.

Foreign Ministers have a clear role in making this cooperation work. We can build partnerships, we can facilitate dialogue between suppliers and consumers, and address tensions before they undermine reliable trade.

The EU is already working on this. Through our raw materials partnerships, Global Gateway and cooperation on strategic projects. We want to work with interested partners in the G20 and businesses to develop investment opportunities that strengthen resilience and deliver benefits on both sides.

Let us use this framework to advance concrete cooperation on supply risks, innovation and investment. Its value will lie in the partnerships and projects it helps deliver.

More resilient supply chains, like many of you have mentioned, should mean greater security and wider economic opportunities for us all.