Kaja Kallas de the EU says that Europe must spend more on defense

The Member States of the European Union need to increase defense expense to maintain the rhythm of the threats facing the continent, warned its head of foreign policy.

Kaja Kallas, who served as Prime Minister of Estonia until July 2024, said “all euros spent in school, medical care and well -being (it was) vulnerable” if the block did not maintain strong defenses.

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, was right to criticize the expense of Europe, which is at an average of 1.9%, he added.

He also noted that Russia spent 9% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in defense and said that Europe’s expense “was not enough” in the light of war in Ukraine.

“To prevent war, we need to spend more, that’s clear,” he told the BBC World Service weekend program.

Kallas said Member States also needed to work together to “press” Russia economically, and hinted at a new penalty package next month to mark three years of war in Ukraine.

The EU must be “creative” in terms of limiting the “ability of Russia to fight this war,” he said, adding that pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin “is the way to end this war because Putin is the one who began.”

Before assuming the EU post last December, Kallas repeatedly requested higher levels of defense spending while working as the first Minister of Estonia.

In February 2024, he said that he wanted NATO countries to increase 3% of their GDP defense spending.

The members of the Alliance pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP in defense after the Russian forces seized the southern Peninsula of Crimea de Ukrania and the representatives backed by Moscow took large areas of eastern Ukraine in 2014.

As Estonio Prime Minister, Kallas promised more than 1% of the country’s country to kyiv to help reinforce the war effort of Ukraine.

“If each NATO country did this, Ukraine would win.” She told the BBC last year.

According NATO estimates for 2024The Defense Expenditure of Estonia as the proportion of GDP was the second highest in the Military Alliance.

In December 2024, NATO general secretary Mark Rutte said that Member States would have to “change to a war mentality” and spend “considerably more than 2%” in defense.

During his first term, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, pressed the NATO members to increase defense spending and then requested a commitment to comply with 4% of GDP.

Shortly before his second inauguration in January, Trump urged NATO European members to spend 5%, telling journalists: “Everyone can pay it.”

When asked if he saw the war concluded in favor of Ukraine, Kallas said that “absolutely” was still alive in his mind.

“I really don’t see any other option. I mean, if we let the brutal aggression flourish, then we will see this in other parts of the world,” he added.

She said: “All aggressors or possible aggressors in the world are clearly taking notes how we react to Russia’s aggression.”