Europe’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Sunday responded firmly to recent US comments, reiterating that Europe is not under civilisational threat and calling for tougher conditions on Moscow in any Ukraine peace deal.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kallas said, "Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure." She also struck a sharp note on Moscow, saying Russia must not gain diplomatically what it failed to secure militarily and describing it as “no superpower” and “broken.” She stressed that European defence “starts in Ukraine” and argued that Moscow should face limits on its military, pay war damages and be held accountable for war crimes, AFP reported.
Her remarks followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s address on Saturday, in which he reassured allies that the United States and Europe "belong together" and that their destiny "will always be intertwined." According to BBC, he said Washington wanted to “revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history,” while also warning that Europe must defend against mass migration to protect its “civilisation” and urging higher defence spending.
Kallas acknowledged differences with the US, saying, "It is also clear that we don't see eye to eye in all the issues, and this will remain the case."However, emphasising the broader message on transatlantic ties, she added, "The message that we heard is that America and Europe are intertwined, have been in the past and will be in the future. I think this is important."
France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad echoed her stance, urging European nations to focus less on rhetoric from Washington and more on strengthening their own defence capabilities. He warned against complacency and was quoted by AFP as saying, "Focus on what we can control, focus on our rearmament, on the support for Ukraine and the threat that Russia poses to all of our democracies."
