Russia's war on Ukraine, China, the Middle East and defence spending were the main topics of the first phone call between Kaja Kallas and Marco Rubio. View on euronews

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she expected the bloc to renew its sanctions on Russia on Monday after Hungary signalled it would stop holding up the move in return for assurances about energy security.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Ukraine war, Iran and China on Tuesday in their first phone call since the Trump administration took office on Jan.

The European Union renewed on Monday its wide-ranging sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, after Hungary stopped holding up the move in return for a declaration on energy security.

The European Union has agreed to prolong for 6 months a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas reports that the foreign ministers of the EU member states have again decided to extend sanctions against Russia.

European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to continue sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, but to ease some sanctions against Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Weeks of stalling by Hungary ended Monday, allowing the EU to renew sanctions against Russia for another six months.

Before reupping the sanctions, Budapest wanted to wait for Trump's inauguration, then insisted Brussels push Ukraine to reopen a gas pipeline running to Central Europe.

The EU wants to ban sales of video game controllers to Russia, but experts say it probably won't make any difference.

In 2024, member states collectively spent an average of 1.9% of GDP on defence, while Russia was spending 9%, Kaja Kallas told the audience of the European Defence Agency annual conference on Monday.

The European Union is expected to renew its sanctions on Russia following assurances about energy security from Hungary, which had previously stalled the process. The sanctions, vital for maintaining pressure on Russia over Ukraine,

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she expected the bloc to renew its sanctions on Russia on Monday after Hungary signalled it would stop holding up the move in return for assurances about energy security.