Iran talks should include nuclear experts: EU top diplomat

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned Friday that negotiations to end the US-Israeli war with Iran are at risk of producing a "weaker" agreement on Tehran's nuclear program than the one struck a decade ago.

"If the talks are only ​about the nuclear (issue) and ​there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement ​that is weaker than the JCPoA was," Kallas told reporters on the second day of an informal EU leaders summit in Cyprus.

The JCPoA, sealed by the Obama administration in 2015, took two years to negotiate and involved some 200 specialists spanning nuclear physics, sanctions, finance and law. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018. This week he vowed to forge a "far better" nuclear deal.

Kallas said if negotiators do not address Iran's "missile ​programs, their support proxies, also hybrid and cyber ​activities ⁠in Europe" there is a possibility "we ⁠will ​end up with a more dangerous Iran."

What else is happening at the leaders' summit?

During their summit on Friday, EU leaders called for a long-term solution to the Iran war ahead of discussions with regional officials and leaders.

"Europe must do even more," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia. "It is in all of our interests that stability be restored as soon as possible and that the world's economies return to normal."

The leaders were to hold talks on the situation in the Middle East over a working lunch with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria on Friday afternoon.

Summit host Cyprus, which lies 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Lebanese coast, has been directly affected by the conflict — an Iranian drone struck a British military base there soon after the war started in late February.

Leaders at the summit also agreed to flesh out a blueprint for how the EU's mutual assistance clause would work in the event of an attack. The question of defense has received growing attention in the bloc amid doubts over the US commitment to the NATO alliance.

EU budget

On Friday morning, the leaders held a debate on the next EU budget for the 2028-2034 period.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that he opposed increasing member state contributions and taking on new debt.

"Europe must make do with the money we have," Merz said. "We will have to set new priorities." 

"That means we will also have to reduce spending in other areas of the European budget," the chancellor added.

The EU executive wants a bigger budget of around €2 trillion ($2.3 trillion) to repay debts incurred during the pandemic. A major challenge will be figuring out how to finance goals like boosting the EU's competitiveness and defense capabilities at a time when many member states are short on funds.

Ukraine

On Thursday, the leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and greenlighted a €90 billion loan for Kyiv. They also adopted the 20th sanctions package against Russia over Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Kallas said Friday that the bloc was already looking to impose the next round of sanctions.

"We're really pushing to go on the 21st package of sanctions," ​she said. "It sends a very clear signal to ⁠Russia that ​they can't ​outwait us. It also sends ​a clear signal to Russia that Ukraine is more important ​to ⁠us than it is to them, and ⁠we ​will keep on supporting them."

EU leaders in Cyprus celebrate Ukraine loan approval

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Edited by: Sean Sinico