Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

It is unacceptable that the veto of a single country can block the policies of the other Member States of the European Union, said the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the European Defence Agency’s annual conference in Brussels on Wednesday. 

Kaja Kallas said that unanimous decision-making prevents the European Union from responding quickly enough, even though the current geopolitical crises have created urgent situations in which it cannot afford to be slow. The High Representative therefore recommended examining the possibilities provided by the EU treaties—constructive abstention, the gradual extension of qualified majority voting in foreign and security policy, and the application of the mutual defense clause—in order to speed up political and military decision-making.

Europe is no longer Washington’s primary geopolitical focus, and this change has been going on for some time; it is structural, not temporary.”

This shift in strategic focus has shaken the foundations of transatlantic relations. The United States remains Europe’s partner and ally, but it is necessary to adapt to the new realities, and Europe must act urgently, she said.

“No great power in history has ever organized its own survival while remaining intact,” she added, emphasizing that the priority is to strengthen defense. Kallas pointed out that European defense capabilities are fragmented and that member states are overly focused on national interests, which slows down and weakens joint action. Therefore, “we need to change our culture and act as Europeans rather than as nations,” she said.

We want strong trans-Atlantic ties.
But Europe needs to adapt to new realities.
It is no longer Washington’s primary centre of gravity.

It’s time for Europe to step up and act with urgency.

We must strengthen our instruments, end fragmentation, close our gaps and join forces… pic.twitter.com/wnrmXOXCnB

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 28, 2026

The High Representative said that international norms and institutions are under the most serious pressure in decades, and there is a real danger of a return to coercive power politics and the creation of spheres of influence. She recalled that the European security crisis had deepened dramatically over the past year; as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine approached, Europe was hit by cyberattacks, sabotage, foreign interference, military intimidation, and political pressure.

It has become painfully clear that Russia will remain a significant security threat in the long term. China poses a long-term challenge: it threatens the European economic model, threatens countries in the East and South China Sea region, and supports Russia’s war. The Middle East remains unpredictable, Kallas said.

The word for this year has been unpredictability.
This is what we are living through.

But right now, it is important to focus back our efforts on stopping the war in Ukraine.

Russia is increasing its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, amid a… pic.twitter.com/ijUIPdmcuk

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 22, 2026

Europe will need to provide €60 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2026-2027, which will require the full capacity of the European defense industry, she said.

The High Representative recalled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning in Davos that Russia is only able to continue its arms build-up because it has access to critical components and revenues from oil exports.

If we want to stop the war, we must cut Russia off from both!”

she said.

“As the United States’ attention increasingly shifts beyond Europe, NATO must become more European, and Europe must take action to achieve this,” the High Representative said.

However, Kallas’s position has sparked strong criticism from several European leaders. In a recent interview with TA-3 television channel, conducted ahead of the Brussels conference, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed his opinion that the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs should resign from her position, TASS reported.

We must replace Ms. Kallas,”

said Fico, emphasizing that her leadership has significantly hindered the EU’s ability to respond effectively to contemporary challenges or to establish a coherent stance on current international issues.

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Via MTI, tass.com; Featured photo: European Parliament/ Alain ROLLAND