"The need is greater than ever. We have many requests to escort ships, but we need more naval units that can do it," says Kallas on his way to today's defence ministers' meeting in Brussels.
"When we started, it was said that the operation would consist of ten ships. We don't have that now. But maybe a few more will be announced today," says the foreign minister.
The EU operation Aspides was launched in 2024 to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea and further on towards the Suez Canal. This year, there has also been discussion about possibly expanding the operation to cover the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
