BRUSSELS (CHATNEWSTV) — European Union High Representative Kaja Kallas on Tuesday addressed pressing issues surrounding Ukraine’s EU and NATO membership prospects, sanctions against Russia, and the role of global powers in ending the war, during a joint press point following an informal breakfast meeting.
Responding to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent claim that Ukraine poses an economic threat to Europe.
“In the European Union, we have 27 different countries and 27 different democracies. Every decision is difficult, and I have no illusions that it will get easier. But in the end, we always manage”, Kallas said.
Kallas reaffirmed Ukraine’s trajectory toward NATO membership while underscoring the complexity of consensus-building within the alliance.
“The strongest security guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership,” she said.
“But all NATO members must agree, and not everyone is there yet.”
On negotiations over EU and NATO memberships, Kallas emphasized that only member states should decide on accession.
“If we give the power to any third parties to decide who gets to be in or out, we give a lot of power away. It should not be like this,” she said.
Kallas reiterated that the focus of international pressure must remain on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin can end this war if he realizes he made a mistake and withdraws his troops. The pressure has to be on him,” she said, adding that U.S. leadership remains critical.
She urged the U.S. to see the link between its approach to Russia and its stance on China. “If the United States is worried about China, they should first be worried about Russia. How we react to Russia’s aggression sends a signal to China,” Kallas said.
Kallas confirmed that work on the EU’s next sanctions package is underway, with the aim of finalizing it by February to coincide with the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are looking into all types of items that help Russia wage this war, from chemicals to video game consoles used to operate drones,” Kallas said.
“It’s about being creative and cutting off resources for their military industry.”
While acknowledging the challenges of reaching unanimous agreement among EU member states, Kallas remained optimistic.
“The final agreement will become clear when we have it, but we are working hard to get it done,” she assured.
When asked if NATO membership is a precondition for joining the EU, Kallas refuted the claim.
“Take my own country, Estonia. We were not in NATO before we joined the EU, or vice versa. It happened almost simultaneously, but it was not a precondition,” she said.
She pointed to Finland and Sweden’s recent NATO bids, driven by Russia’s aggressiveness.
“The only thing that really protects is the umbrella of NATO. That’s why countries want to join,” Kallas added.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
