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European Defense Ministers Agree on Need to Bolster Bloc’s Defenses
(MENAFN) European defense ministers have reached consensus on the critical necessity of bolstering the bloc's military capabilities, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warning Monday that Russia cannot be relied upon to uphold commitments.
"Everyone agreed that Europe must continue to boost its own defences. We do not have much time to act. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is unlikely to honour any agreement for long," she declared.
Kallas revealed the EU and its member states have already delivered over €187 billion ($217 billion) in assistance to Ukraine, emphasizing that enhanced military backing will strengthen Kyiv "on the battlefield and at the negotiation table."
Addressing Belgium's hesitation regarding the proposed reparations loan backed by Russia's frozen sovereign assets, Kallas defended the framework as "the most viable option," pressing member states to collectively address associated risks.
"This is clear that Russia owes reparations for the damages that they have caused to Ukraine, and the reparations loan based on the frozen sovereign assets of Russia, is actually the right basis for it," she stated.
Kallas expressed concern that international pressure might increasingly target Ukraine to accept concessions in upcoming negotiations, cautioning that this strategy would effectively reward Russian aggression.
"I am afraid that all the pressure will be put on the weaker side, because that is the easier way to stop this war when Ukraine surrenders. But this is not in anybody's interest, not in the interest of Ukraine, not in the interest of European Union, also not in the interest of the global, overall security because it is the UN Charter that says that you cannot change borders by force," she warned.
"If this pays off, we will see this elsewhere, all around the world. Then we see that whoever has the power gets to take what they want, which is not good for the majority of countries in the world," she continued.
The EU foreign policy chief also highlighted escalating hybrid threats from Belarus, noting the bloc is evaluating additional countermeasures after Lithuania documented meteorological balloons penetrating its airspace from Belarusian territory.
"Everyone agreed that Europe must continue to boost its own defences. We do not have much time to act. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is unlikely to honour any agreement for long," she declared.
Kallas revealed the EU and its member states have already delivered over €187 billion ($217 billion) in assistance to Ukraine, emphasizing that enhanced military backing will strengthen Kyiv "on the battlefield and at the negotiation table."
Addressing Belgium's hesitation regarding the proposed reparations loan backed by Russia's frozen sovereign assets, Kallas defended the framework as "the most viable option," pressing member states to collectively address associated risks.
"This is clear that Russia owes reparations for the damages that they have caused to Ukraine, and the reparations loan based on the frozen sovereign assets of Russia, is actually the right basis for it," she stated.
Kallas expressed concern that international pressure might increasingly target Ukraine to accept concessions in upcoming negotiations, cautioning that this strategy would effectively reward Russian aggression.
"I am afraid that all the pressure will be put on the weaker side, because that is the easier way to stop this war when Ukraine surrenders. But this is not in anybody's interest, not in the interest of Ukraine, not in the interest of European Union, also not in the interest of the global, overall security because it is the UN Charter that says that you cannot change borders by force," she warned.
"If this pays off, we will see this elsewhere, all around the world. Then we see that whoever has the power gets to take what they want, which is not good for the majority of countries in the world," she continued.
The EU foreign policy chief also highlighted escalating hybrid threats from Belarus, noting the bloc is evaluating additional countermeasures after Lithuania documented meteorological balloons penetrating its airspace from Belarusian territory.
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