Kaja Kallas says Europe needs to adapt to new realities and take greater responsibility in NATO as the transatlantic relationship enters a more uncertain phase.
Europe must step up efforts on defence and play a bigger role in NATO as US President Donald Trump has 'shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundation', EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday.
'Let me be clear: we want strong transatlantic ties. The US will remain Europe's partner and ally. But Europe needs to adapt to the new realities. Europe is no longer Washington's primary centre of gravity,' Kallas told a defence conference in Brussels.'This shift has been ongoing for a while. It is structural, not temporary. It means that Europe must step up — no great power in history has outsourced its survival and survived.'Trump rocked European allies this month by threatening to seize Greenland from NATO and EU member Denmark — before eventually backing off.The crisis — the latest to buffet ties since his return to power a year ago — has reinforced calls for the continent to cut its decades-long reliance on NATO's dominant military superpower for protection.Kallas remained clear-eyed that NATO remains the bedrock of European security.She said EU efforts should 'remain complementary' to those of the alliance, but insisted Europe needed to play a bigger role.'Especially now, as the US is setting its sights beyond Europe, NATO needs to become more European to maintain its strength,' she said.'For this, Europe must act.'‘This tectonic shift is here to stay’European countries have already ramped up defence budgets since Russia attacked Ukraine four years ago, and agreed last year to massively hike NATO's spending target under pressure from Trump.The EU last year also launched a raft of initiatives that it says could see its members plough an additional 800 billion euros into defence.Washington, meanwhile, has said it wants European allies to take over more responsibility for the conventional defence of the continent as the US focus switches to other threats like China.'The risk of a full-blown return to coercive power politics, spheres of influence and a world where might makes right, is very real,' Kallas said.She insisted Europe 'must acknowledge that this tectonic shift is here to stay. And to act with urgency.'Kallas' comments come after NATO chief Mark Rutte told EU lawmakers to 'keep on dreaming' if they thought Europe could defend itself without the United States.In a Monday address to the bloc's parliament, Rutte insisted that Europe would have to double its spending targets to afford the 'billions and billions of euros' it would cost to replace the US nuclear umbrella.The head of the Western military alliance also warned that if Europe tried to build its own forces to replace the United States in NATO, then it would play into Russian leader Vladimir Putin's hands.'Putin will love it. So think again,' Rutte said.Instead, he urged the EU to use its traditional strengths to generate funding and cut regulation to help the defence industry grow.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
France honors fallen soldiers in Afghanistan after Trump's false claim about NATO troopsA senior French official has emphasized the importance of honoring French soldiers who died in Afghanistan.
Read more »
France honors fallen soldiers in Afghanistan after Trump's false claim about NATO troopsA senior French official has emphasized the importance of honoring French soldiers who died in Afghanistan.
Read more »
France honors fallen soldiers in Afghanistan after Trump’s false claim about NATO troopsNinety French soldiers died in the conflict.
Read more »
'Keep dreaming': NATO head has dismissed calls for separate European forceNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told advocates of a separate European force to 'keep dreaming,' warning it would only benefit Russia.
Read more »
Trump’s NATO warning pushes Europe to face the cost of defending itselfFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
In Trump's shadow, India and the European Union expand trade tiesThe agreement is expected to double the total value of goods that the EU exports to India within the next six years
Read more »