Rubio, Kallas agree to exert maximum pressure on Russia

In a phone call on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas agreed on the need to exert strong pressure on Russia, Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA / Scanpix

In a phone call on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas agreed on the need to exert strong pressure on Russia to resolve the Ukraine crisis, according to Bloomberg.

«Kallas and Rubio have agreed on the need to exert maximum pressure on Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,» Bloomberg reports, citing an unnamed EU official.

Kallas announced the conversation on the social media platform X.

«We discussed global issues where the EU and US have the same interests, including Russia's war in Ukraine, Iran's malign influence and challenges posed by China,» she wrote.

The US Department of State announced that Rubio had a phone conversation with Kallas, during which he welcomed the EU's decision to extend sanctions against Russia.

Rubio underscored «the need to strengthen transatlantic security, called for Europe to increase defense spending, and highlighted the challenges posed by China.»

Kallas previously noted that the European Union is working on its 16th package of sanctions against Russia, which is expected to cover a wide range of items, from LNG to video game consoles.

«Both leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening EU-US cooperation on key global issues,» a source familiar with the conversation said.

Kallas also highlighted «Europe's increasing investments in defense and its readiness to take on greater responsibility,» the source added.