Kaja Kallas, the candidate nominated for the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, said that Ukraine’s victory was a priority at her hearing before MEPs on Tuesday 12 November.
“We must continue to work every day, for as long as it takes, and provide as much military, humanitarian and economic support as possible”, she stressed, adding that this support was accompanied by a clear path for Ukraine to join the EU.
The woman behind the 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine initiative also called for each Member State to spend 0.25% of its GDP to help Ukraine. According to Ms Kallas, this could make it possible to defeat Russia. In response to Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, French), who asked her to take action to lift restrictions on arms to Ukraine, the former Estonian Prime Minister said that if Europeans produced the arms themselves, there would be no restrictions.
Ms Kallas also said that frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild Ukraine. “We recognise that Russia has a legitimate claim on us because we are in possession of its assets. But Ukraine also has a legitimate claim on Russia, because every day it is destroying Ukraine”, she explained, adding that the EU should not fund the reconstruction because it is not doing the destroying. “Russia should pay for the reconstruction of the country”, she added.
Asked by Alexander Sell (ENS, German) about peace negotiations, the candidate pointed out that there were different kinds of peace. “We want lasting peace. If we give in to the aggressor and say ‘take what you want’, all potential aggressors will become real aggressors”, she warned, adding that this was why it was important to not give in to Russia and to support Ukraine. “For a country to become better, it has to lose its last colonial war, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure that Russia loses its colonial war”, promised the High Representative-designate.
Ms Kallas disagreed with those who say that sanctions against Russia have no impact. Without giving an answer as to what the next package of measures might include, the candidate attacked European companies who think that sanctions “do not necessarily concern them” and the circumvention of measures.
Against the context of the conflict in Ukraine, the former Prime Minister recalled the coalition between Russia, Iran, North Korea and China. “Without this support, Russia would not be able to continue the war with the same power, and China must feel the consequences”, she said.
While Ms Kallas seemed at ease on the subject of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she was very diplomatic and cautious on many subjects, to the point of being superficial.
The High Representative-designate said that the situation in the Middle East was a priority, without really explaining what she intends to do. Ms Kallas merely reiterated the general European standpoint. “We must work towards an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, the greatest possible restraint on the part of the parties, guarantee humanitarian support and commit to finding a two-state solution”, with a “reformed” Palestinian Authority, which will give it greater weight, explained Ms Kallas.
She recalled that, according to the founding father of Israel, David Ben Gurion, the State of Israel was founded on the principles of security and justice. “This cannot be done without the existence of Palestinians in this country, and the existence of these values”, explained the High Representative-designate. She also called for an Association Council to be held with Israel so that each Member State representative could ask it questions.
Ms Kallas also announced that she wanted to work with the Member States to find a new approach to Iran, which is helping Russia, is involved in the Middle East, is continuing its nuclear programme and is also intervening within the EU itself.
A few days after the election of Donald Trump, Ms Kallas spoke of the importance of transatlantic ties. “We need to build on what works best. The EU and the United States are stronger and safer when they work together”, she explained.
And in the face of doubts about continued American support for Ukraine, Ms Kallas felt that if the United States was concerned about the South China Sea, it should see how concerned Europeans were about the war in Ukraine. “We are the strongest allies and we have to stick together”, she explained.
Asked several times about Africa, the High Representative-designate said that this relationship should be explored further, on an equal footing, where each side listens to the concerns of the other. “I want to devote my time to creating these relationships. The relationship has to work for both sides”, she promised.
According to Ms Kallas, the summit planned for 2025 between the European and African Unions will provide an opportunity to discuss partnership priorities. The candidate also felt that the EU was not visible enough as a humanitarian power. “There are 27 Member States behind the EU’s presence. We need to use this leverage”, she stressed.
On defence, Ms Kallas called for synergy between the EU and NATO, recalling that 22 EU Member States were also members of the Atlantic alliance. “NATO and the EU have distinct roles. NATO is a military alliance whereas the EU is an economic alliance, so we can think about how to invest in defence”, she explained. She went on to emphasise that: “We need to take charge of our defence and invest more”.
The High Representative-designate said she was in favour of a review of the ‘Strategic Compass’, in particular the evaluation of measures.
Institutional affairs. Ms Kallas, who will have the difficult task of finding a common position among the EU27, said that hard work would be required to achieve this unity. In her view, the same message needs to be conveyed by several voices. Asked by Nacho Sanchez Amor (S&D, Spanish) about the European External Action Service, Ms Kallas said she was aware of the service’s financial difficulties. “We need to be in every country and know what we’re doing. I am prepared to have an audit carried out and to assess the efficiency of the service, to see if there is duplication, competition between different entities, etc.”, she promised.
Finally, when asked about the allegations concerning her husband, who is said to be the part-owner of a company that has maintained its activities in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, Ms Kallas simply said that these allegations were wrong and referred to the Estonian media investigations. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Pauline Denys)