Asger Risom
In a stark speech ahead of the NATO summit, Kaja Kallas called for greater defense spending and warned that Russia’s provocations make unity and strength essential for Europe’s future.
The European Union faces its most direct threat in decades, according to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, who addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
With the NATO summit in The Hague fast approaching, Kallas pressed for urgent investment in defense and unwavering support for Ukraine.
“Russians Only Respond to Force”
Describing Russia as a growing aggressor, Kallas detailed violations of EU airspace, cyber sabotage, and attacks on infrastructure.
She warned that Moscow now spends more on defense than on healthcare, education, and social policy combined, highlighting what she described as a long-term plan for sustained aggression.
“Facing NATO and the EU, Russia has no chance. But we must stay united,” she said.
The Estonian diplomat emphasized that countries bordering Russia have long felt the brunt of its provocations and urged all European allies to take defense spending seriously. In 2014, NATO set a 2% of GDP defense target. Today, Kallas says, Europe must prepare for a 5% goal due to drastic geopolitical shifts.
Europe Must “Do Even More” for Ukraine
Kallas framed Ukraine as Europe’s first line of defense, arguing that EU sanctions are already weakening Russia’s economy.
“Each sanction reduces Russia’s capacity to continue this war,” she said, noting that Russia’s sovereign wealth fund shrank by €6 billion last month alone, as reported by 20minutos.
She reminded lawmakers that the EU has provided more than €50 billion in military support to Kyiv. “We must do even more for Ukraine, also for our own security,” she stressed.
Quoting NATO’s incoming Secretary General Mark Rutte, she concluded: “If we don’t help Ukraine more, we’d all better start learning Russian.”
