EU Member States divided over Gaza at their Copenhagen meeting

The European Union remains divided when it comes to Gaza, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said after the informal meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Copenhagen.

Kallas said the division is negatively affecting the global credibility of the EU, and expressed disappointment about not being able to reach unity among ministers.

"If you ask personally how that feels, that I'm the face that is to blame, that we don't have a decision, then it's hard. It's very hard," Kallas said.

"It's clear that member states disagree on how to get the Israeli government to change course. The options are clear and remain on the table. We have presented the options paper. But the problem is that not all EU member states are on board," Kallas added.

The chief diplomat said that member states still have no agreement on the plan to suspend free trade with Israel as part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Some countries expressed their opposition, including Germany and Hungary, while Denmark, currently holding the rotating presidency, signalled it would support the suspension.

"If the majority is growing, then the division is not getting bigger, but it's actually getting smaller because the majority's growing. So it depends on how you look at it. But it is true that we still don't have an agreement on those measures," Kallas replied to a reporter's question.

The Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, suggested that the EU could take certains steps in order to bypass the veto of some member states.

"We have to work and think more innovatively about what could be the next best solutions. For instance, we want to put a ban on imports from the occupied territories. That's probably not doable. But then we could put a heavy tariff on imports, and we could do that by a qualified majority," the Danish Foreign Minister said.

Rasmussen also rejected Israeli claims that limiting free trade with Israel would strengthen Hamas.

"I think it is important that we challenge the false narratives. And I mean, we have absolutely no intention to strengthen Hamas, but the opposite," he said.

Kallas said the EU was successfully putting pressure on Israel to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza, resulting in more trucks entering the zone and more border crossings that have opened.

Also at the meeting, the bloc adopted a document calling on the US to reverse the travel ban on the Palestinian delegation heading for the United Nations' General Assembly.

Fresh Sanctions might target crypto related to Russia

Kallas also talked about the European Union exploring options to sanction crypto markets, which are assisting in the circumvention of Russian sanctions.

The bloc plans to present fresh sanctions against Russia next week in response to Moscow's increased bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine.

On Thursday, a Russian strike on Kyiv killed 25 people, including several children. The attack also damaged the EU's representation and the British Council building. Kallas said the EU's measures could mirror previous sanctions imposed by the UK, targeting crypto networks used to bypass financial sanctions against Russia.

"There were a lot of other ideas put on the table, for example, financing institutions, and also the way our UK colleagues were mentioning the things they have done. We will look into those possibilities. Crypto is one thing, although I don't know how it is doable in practice," Kallas said.

The UK targeted, among others, the rouble-backed cryptocurrency token A7A5 set up in Kyrgyzstan, which transferred almost 8 billion euros in recent months. A Luxembourg-based firm was also on their list.

Other elements on the EU's 19th sanctions package will include restrictions on oil and gas imports, secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners, and restrictions on Russia's so-called Shadow Fleet involved in bypassing oil sanctions.

EU moves to minimize risks when it comes to frozen assets

The Copenhagen meeting of the foreign ministers was held in a so-called Gymnich format, meaning no decisions were taken at the informal meeting, but the discussions held could set the direction for future talks.

Finally, the ministers also discussed the issue of Russia's frozen assets. Kallas reiterated that Russia cannot get the 210 billion euros in frozen assets back without paying reparations to Ukraine.

But member states were divided on the possibility of confiscation those assets. Belgium, which holds the largest quantity of the assets, opposed the move, fearing legal consequences.

According to Kallas, the EU is moving toward minimising potential risks for member states and possibly sharing some of the risks that Belgium is currently taking in this matter.