Kallas Warns of Growing Political Blindness to Russian Threat

(MENAFN) EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warns that political parties she describes as “blind” to the dangers posed by Russia are gaining influence across Europe, following a strong performance by Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a regional election.

Speaking during a visit to Lithuania alongside Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, Kallas says Europe is facing an increasingly serious security environment as sabotage and other hostile activities move closer to the continent.

“At the same time, parties that are in a sense blind to this threat and say we shouldn’t do anything about it because it’s none of our business are strengthening their positions,” she says.

The AfD secures about 44% of the vote in Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt, more than doubling its share compared with the 2021 state election.

The far-right party finishes well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, which receives roughly 17% of the vote. However, the AfD does not obtain enough support to establish what would be Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II.

“So I’m just afraid that we could wake up in a situation where we haven’t done enough to deter threats and defend ourselves,” Kallas says.

She also acknowledges that Germany’s voters have the right to determine their political direction, adding: “But of course, the German people themselves, a democratic country, have to make their own choices.”

MENAFN08092026000045017640ID1111634162