EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Saturday sought to ease tensions with the US after the Trump administration released a national security paper that sharply criticized European allies.
Callas’ comments come as many European leaders fear the US government is increasingly turning its back on the continent, particularly with regard to support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s aggression.
What did Kailash say?
“There is a lot of criticism [in the paper]But I think some of it is true; “If you look at Europe, it is underestimating its power vis-à-vis Russia,” Callas said at a panel at the Doha Forum in Qatar.
“We need to be more confident,” he said. “America is still our biggest ally,” he said.
Callas said, “I think we haven’t always seen eye to eye on different topics, but I think the overall principle is still there. We are our greatest allies and we should stick together.”
What did the US national security paper say?
The US national security strategy document, which was posted on the White House website on Friday night, echoes criticisms of Europe already presented in a forceful speech by Vice President JD Vance at the Munich security conference in February.
This strategy also appears to support the white supremacist Great Replacement conspiracy theory, according to which the white European population is being deliberately replaced by non-white people.
The newspaper said that many countries are at risk of becoming “majority non-European” and that Europe faces “the real and strong possibility of the eradication of civilization”. “Should current trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less,” it says.
The strategy plan states that Europe faces issues such as “censorship of free speech and repression of political opposition, declining birth rates, and loss of national identity and self-confidence”.
It said, “Our goal must be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a stronger Europe to help us compete successfully, and work together with us to prevent any rival from dominating Europe.”
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar