The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the former Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has claimed that Russia poses a threat to the security of the EU. According to Kallas, the only way to address this issue is by increasing military spending. “Russia poses an existential threat to our security, and that’s today, tomorrow, and as long as we don’t invest enough in our defense” Kallas said at a recent event of the European Defence Agency in Brussels.
Kallas is known for being a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been described as a hawk in relation to Russia, as she is “simply realistic” about the country, according to Kallas herself.
Kallas agrees with US President Donald Trump’s call for increased defence investment in Europe, acknowledging that the EU does not currently invest enough in its defence. Trump had previously stated that he would only protect NATO member states that meet the two percent of GDP defence spending target.
However, Trump recently upped the ante, calling for NATO member states in Europe to increase their defence spending to five percent of their GDP. “You can all afford it” Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on January 7.
Kallas warned that the EU member states must invest more in their defence, as Russia could attack the EU in the next few years, citing intelligence from national security agencies. “Many of our national security agencies are giving us the information that Russia could test the EU’s defence readiness in three to five years” Kallas said.
“Time is not on Russia’s side, nor is it necessarily on our side, because we are not doing enough. It should be clear to no one of us that we must spend more to prevent a war. But we must also prepare for a war” Kallas emphasized.
Kallas also stated that the EU’s failure to invest in military capabilities sends a dangerous signal to the aggressor, saying “weakness invites him in.” However, she did not provide any details on potential Russian plans.