EU foreign policy chief calls for more naval assets to safeguard commercial shipping in Red Sea

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged member states to deploy additional naval vessels to help safeguard commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

EU countries have been conducting patrols in the Red Sea since 2024 under Operation Aspides as growing threats from Yemen's Houthi group continue to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

"The operation needs more naval assets and more air assets to address the increased level of threats in the region," Kallas told reporters in New York following a meeting of EU foreign ministers held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"The Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb are three critical maritime choke points whose disruption spreads far beyond the region," she said.

The operation currently relies mainly on three vessels from Italy and Greece, with other EU member states providing occasional support, according to Bloomberg. So far, however, EU countries have shown little interest in increasing the number of ships involved or changing the mission's objectives.

"When Aspides was put in place, the indication was that it needs at least 10 ships," Kallas said. "The situation, I think, is even more grave right now."