EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday drew a direct parallel between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, saying they represent the “greatest breakdown of international law since the Second World War.”
“The breakdown of international law is evident in today’s two preeminent global crises: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the war in the Middle East,” Kallas said in an address to the United Nations Security Council in New York. “Together, the crises in Europe and the Middle East represent the clearest sign yet of an abandonment of the old rules, including the U.N. Charter.”
Kallas reserved her sharpest language for Moscow, calling Russia’s 2022 invasion “one of the most outrageous breaches of international law,” while casting the current Middle East conflict — triggered by the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran — as part of the same systemic erosion.
She warned that the war in Iran, which quickly engulfed surrounding countries, has “caused immense instability and cost far too many lives” while sending shockwaves through global energy markets and supply chains.
Kallas also took aim at what she described as a shift toward “coercive power politics,” warning against a world shaped by competing spheres of influence.
“We are hearing a lot about multipolarity today. But let’s be clear: Multipolarity, unrestrained by the U.N. Charter or international law … has never been peaceful, stable … and ultimately it always ends in devastation,” she said.
“A new world is now in the making, characterized by competition and coercive power politics … dominated by a handful of military powers who aim to establish spheres of influence.”
Her remarks come as the ceasefire in the Middle East threatens to crumble. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced on Truth Social a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iran broke down without a deal. He threatened to destroy “the little that is left of Iran” and warned any hostile action would be met with force.
The move targets a critical artery for global energy flows, with roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passing through the strait — and has already rattled Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the conflict has added €22 billion to the EU’s energy bill, as Brussels prepares emergency measures including loosening state aid rules, support for gas storage, and steps to accelerate electrification to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Against that backdrop, Kallas warned that a fragile truce in the Middle East is “hanging in the balance,” but “offers much-needed opportunity to negotiate.”
