STORY: EU foreign ministers on Tuesday (May 20) agreed to lift economic sanctions on Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

"This decision is reversible and conditional also on progress. There can be no peace without the path to economic recovery, and we all need a stable Syria. [...] I think we need to give the Syrian people a chance," Kallas said following discussions with ministers in Brussels.

The European Union's policy shift comes after President Donald Trump said last week he would order the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria.

The European Union's top diplomat also said that there would be a review of the EU's trade agreement with Israel amid the "untenable" situation in Gaza.

International pressure on Israel has mounted in recent days as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has launched a renewed military offensive in Gaza.

Kallas said a "strong majority" of EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels favoured such a review of the bloc's association agreement with Israel in the light of events in Gaza.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, HOLDING PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER MEETING WITH EU FOREIGN MINISTERS AND EU DEFENCE MINISTERS / SOUNDBITES FROM KALLAS ON MIDDLE EAST AND UKRAINE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (MAY 20, 2025) (EUROPEAN UNION – Access all)

1. EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE

2. KALLAS ON STAGE

3. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"On Syria, ministers agreed to lift all economic sanctions while maintaining those related to the Assad regime and human rights violations. This decision is reversible and conditional also on progress. There can be no peace without the path to economic recovery, and we all need a stable Syria. Is everything really ideal there? No, it is not. It's very clear. But I think we need to give the Syrian people a chance."

5. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"It is clear from today's discussion that there is a strong majority in favor of a review of Article 2 of our association agreement with Israel. So we will launch this exercise, and in the meantime, it is up to Israel to unblock the humanitarian aid. Saving lives must be our top priority."

7. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

8. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"What comes to the association agreement and the discussion around that, I will not say numbers and I will not say member states, but I can say it was a huge majority for this. I think what it tells is that the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable."

10. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"The sanctions on settlers, we have, I mean, it's prepared, we have had those discussions, but unfortunately, it was blocked by one member state."

12. JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, KAJA KALLAS, SAYING:

"What is the most, the strongest of this package is, of course, energy. The oil price cap is clearly something that has a clear effect on Russia's economy."

14. VARIOUS OF PRESS CONFERENCE ENDING