Germany: Press conference by High Representative / Vice President Kaja Kallas ahead of the meeting with the German Federal Minister for Defence, Mr Boris Pistorius

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Dear Boris, thank you for your warm welcome. It is always good to be here in Berlin.

I want to start by thanking Germany for its crucial leadership in European defence. No other country in Europe spends more on defence, and few contribute as broadly. In Lithuania, you are a powerful backbone of NATO's presence. In the air, German jets protect European skies. And at sea, your navy safeguards vital sea lanes and critical undersea infrastructure. Germany is also the biggest provider of military support to Ukraine. At this critical moment, this matters more than ever.

There is now an intense diplomatic push for peace. President Trump is not alone to detest war. Ukrainians do. We all do. But as we see time and again, this push remains totally one sided. Every week, Russian bombs plunge Ukrainian cities into darkness. Destruction and death are Russia's answer to diplomacy. The bitter reality is that this war might carry on for a long time unless we collectively put more pressure on Russia to stop it.

Europe's policy is consistent: supporting Ukraine and raising the costs for Russia. On the EU side, we will loan €90 billion to Ukraine to fund state functions and defence for the next two years. We are also advancing the 20 sanctions package and aim to finalise it next month. Putin will only take negotiations seriously if we make him. Today, we also spoke about European defence. We know that Russia's ambitions go beyond Ukraine. To keep our countries and people safe, Europe must further improve its defence readiness. Here, Germany also plays a key role as the lead nation for five priority capability areas, and I want to thank Minister Pistorius for this. Boosting European defence readiness is not about duplicating what NATO does, but it is about making Europe stronger within NATO.

I also want to touch on the state of transatlantic relations, which has been much of a subject recently. The United States is an indispensable ally, but it is also clear that our relations are not as good as they used to be. In every Alliance, there are moments of open disagreement, but Europe will not junk 80 years of transatlantic relations. From Gaza to the fight against ISIS, to China's coercive economic practices, Europe and the US are stronger when we act together.

Finally, also, a few words on Iran. The courage of Iranian people is humbling. The regime has a track record of brutally suppressing protests, and no one knows what the next days will bring. The heavy-handed and brutal response by the security forces is unacceptable and exposes a regime afraid of its own people. The EU already has sweeping sanctions in place on Iran: on those responsible for the human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation and Tehran's support for Russia's war. And we are discussing on putting additional sanctions.

Dear Boris, thank you for everything that Germany does to strengthen European security. In uncertain times, we know that we can count on you.

Thank you.