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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
EU eases sanctions on Syria
The European Union agreed on Monday tostart easing sanctions on Syria in light of the ousting of President Bashar Assad in December. At a meeting of European ministers in Brussels, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, announced a gradual lifting of sanctions, starting in areas key to reconstruction, such as energy, transport, and financial services.
Kallas emphasized that the decisioncould be reversed, however, if “wrong steps are taken” – code for backsliding on human rights. And sanctions willnot be lifted against Syria’s new rulers, members of Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. According to Dutch Foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp, “They’re the new ones in power. We want to see how their words are translated into actions.”
Could other countries follow suit? All eyes are now on the US, which designated Syria a terrorist entityin 1979 and joined the EU in imposing strict sanctions against the Assad regime in 2011. In early January, the US Treasury issueda six-month general license, which authorized some energy transactions and humanitarian aid butdid not lift sanctions.
Trump has not specifically pronounced himself on Syrian sanctions, but based on the record of his first administration, observers believe thatsanctions will continue to be used against threat actors such as Iran – suggesting that HTS should distance itself from Tehran if it wants them lifted by Washington.Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas speaks during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (not pictured) at the Tapa Military Base, in Tallinn, Estonia March 1, 2022.
Kyiv gets a strong ally in Brussels
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallasresigned on Monday and is set to become the EU’s top diplomat.
Kallas, 47, has been one of the Kremlin’s fiercest critics in Europe since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Her appointment as the EU’s foreign policy chief helps ensure strong support for Kyiv in Brussels moving forward — and comes amid palpable anxiety in Europe over the implications the US presidential election could have over the future of Washington’s support for Ukraine.
Former President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to providing continued US aid to Ukraine, and the fact he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday is widely seen as boosting his odds of winning in November.
The US has provided more assistance to Ukraine than any other country amid the war with Russia. If that aid dried up, Kyiv would be in a precarious position. Overall, however, the EU has provided more aid to Ukraine than the US.
Kallas, who has pushed for Europe to provide unconditional support for Ukraine, could serve as somewhat of an insurance policy for Kyiv — but it would still struggle without US support. Though it’s clear Kallas will use her new position to ensure Europe is prepared to counter Moscow’s aggression and ambitions, it’s less evident how she’ll address issues such as EU relations with China, and it will take time for her broader policy approach to take shape. Kallas will remain as Estonia’s caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in, likely in early August.
GZERO celebrates International Women's Day
On International Women's Day, we’re proud to showcase just a few of the exceptional women we’ve interviewed on “GZERO World with Ian Bremmer,” our weekly program on US public television. The accomplishments of these remarkable women have made them role models globally. Click to watch our interviews with:
- Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and women's rights activist, known for her campaign against the Iranian government
- Jennifer Granholm, the former Governor of Michigan and current US Secretary of Energy
- Alina Polyakova, a political scientist and foreign policy expert
- Nikole Hannah-Jones, a journalist and author who led the 1619 Project
- Jean Lee, a journalist who extensively covered North Korea and currently serves as the director of the Korea Program at the Wilson Center
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a Belarusian politician and human rights activist who challenged the authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election.
- Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, a South African politician and women's rights advocate and former Executive Director of UN Women
- Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from The Citadel military college and a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina
- Christine Lagarde, a French lawyer and politician who is currently serving as the President of the European Central Bank
- Maria Ressa, a Filipino-American journalist and CEO of the news website Rappler, known for her coverage of press freedom and the Philippine government's war on drugs
- Kaja Kallas, Estonia's popular centre-right prime minister, who won a sweeping election victory, receiving more personal votes than any politician in the country's history
NATO unity & how to end war in Ukraine
What a difference a year makes. As the world marks the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Zelensky's military has performed far better against Russia than even some of its staunchest supporters expected when the war began. And Putin's illegal invasion of a sovereign neighbor has rallied the West to Kyiv's cause.
Ian Bremmer is on the ground in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference to ask world leaders how much further the West is willing to go in its support for Ukraine.
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been called Europe’s new Iron Lady, and says no Russian war crime should go unpunished. And NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană offers a candid assessment of a war that has no clear end in sight. Ian speaks to them both.
Watch "GZERO World with Ian Bremmer" on public television stations across the US. Check local listings.
Podcast: Ukraine’s strength, Russia’s stubbornness - and the uncertainty of war to come
Listen: Ian Bremmer is on the ground in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference to ask world leaders how much further the West is willing to go in its support for Kiev. As the world marks the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Zelensky's military has performed far better against Russia than even some of its staunchest supporters expected when the war began. And Putin's illegal invasion of a soverign neighbor has rallied the West to Kiev's cause.
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been called Europe’s new Iron Lady, and says no Russian war crime should go unpunished. And NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană offers a candid assessment of a war that has no clear end in sight. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian speaks to them both about the lessons learned during year one of the war…and what might happen next.
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.
Nord Stream explosion mystery: We need proof, says Estonia's PM Kaja Kallas
Who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines? We still don't know, and that's a pretty troubling thought given it's the single biggest attack outside of Ukraine during the war. Multiple investigations determined the September 2022 explosions of Nord Stream 1 and 2 were sabotaged, and the west immediately blamed the Russians. But months after the attack, there's still no evidence of Russian involvement and the explosions are still an international unsolved mystery.
At the Munich Security Conference, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas sat down with GZERO World and Ian Bremmer, where he asked her directly if she buys the story of Russian involvement. Kallas has an interesting theory about a possible pipeline mix-up, and says that the question of who is responsible is still an open one. Ultimately, Kallas says there must be proof if there is going to be accountability, and achieving that accountability might mean rethinking international law.
Catch Ian Bremmer's full interview with Kallas in this week's episode of "GZERO World with Ian Bremmer," airing on US public television stations nationwide. Check local listings.
When Russia is your neighbor: Estonian PM Kaja Kallas' frontline POV
Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, knows firsthand the dangers that come with being a frontline state on the Russian border. In 2007, her country was hit by Russian cyber attacks that crippled banks, media outlets, and government institutions for weeks. But being on the receiving end of this new kind of modern warfare has also made the country more resilient. In the years since Estonia has invested a lot in cyber security and can better monitor bad actors seeking to divide their society with digital warfare.
GZERO World traveled to the Munich Security Conference to speak with western leaders on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. One of the biggest challenges within NATO is maintaining cohesion and staying united in support of Ukraine. Kallas acknowledges their internal divisions about how far the alliance is willing to go and says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a lot different than the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. She even mentions one anonymous European leader who wants to be on the right side of history in supporting Kyiv, even though public opinion is against it. Any guesses as to who that might be?
Catch Ian Bremmer's full interview with Kallas in this week's episode of "GZERO World with Ian Bremmer," airing on public television stations in the US. Check local listings
"Peace" under authoritarian occupation isn't peaceful: Estonia's Kaja Kallas
Everyone knows that war is bad and peace is good, but what about the difference between peace and "peace"? Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas sat down with Ian Bremmer at the Munich Security Conference to discuss the war in Ukraine and how her perspective has changed since the Russian invasion began one year ago. Europe is a small region, says Kallas, and maintaining unity in the face of Russian aggression could come down to acknowledging European countries' lived experiences and not-so-distant history.
Kallas makes the important distinction between the post-World War II eras in Eastern vs. Western Europe. While countries like France and Germany were rebuilding their economies and national institutions, Soviet-occupied countries in the Eastern bloc experienced violence, persecution, and economic stagnation. "For 50 years we were occupied, and we were not really missed," says Kallas, "But we missed you."
Catch Ian Bremmer's full interview with Kallas in this week's episode of "GZERO World with Ian Bremmer," airing on US public television stations nationwide. Check local listings.
- Europe's new "Iron Lady" Kaja Kallas ›
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- Leaders of Poland, Nordic & Baltic countries affirm strong support for Ukraine - GZERO Media ›