Kaja Kallas says pause "offers a window for dialogue" on ICC restrictions

On Friday the United States announced a set of economic restrictions targeting the International Criminal Court, including a six‑month provisional phase that limits most commercial interactions but leaves narrow exceptions for telecommunications, software, pension payments and detainee‑related matters. The measures follow long‑standing U.S. opposition to the court’s investigations of Israeli officials and U.S. forces, and come shortly after a Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a former ICC judge. European officials responded by warning that the court’s work must be protected; Estonia’s foreign minister Kaja Kallas posted that the temporary pause could allow diplomatic engagement while the EU retains tools to safeguard the court’s operations. Belgium’s foreign minister called for activation of an EU blocking statute to shield the institution.