Brussels, Feb. 16 (SANA) European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday pushed back against recent U.S. criticism of Europe, underscoring the depth of transatlantic ties despite differences between the two sides.
Speaking on the final day of the Munich Security Conference, Kallas said the United States and Europe remain closely linked. “The message we heard is that the United States and Europe are intertwined, and I believe that is important,” she said, according to Agence France-Presse. “We have been so in the past and will remain so in the future. But it is clear that we do not agree on every issue, and that will continue.”
On Saturday, the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said that Washington would only work alongside Europe if it changed to accommodate US leadership on mass migration, free trade and greater European defense spending.
Kallas called for Europe to strengthen its ability to act independently, saying European Union member states are seeking to enhance the bloc’s effectiveness and resilience.
She argued that Europe’s security is closely tied to the outcome of the war in Ukraine, describing Russia’s invasion as a central challenge. Kallas warned that Moscow could secure at the negotiating table what it has failed to achieve on the battlefield if Western support weakens.
Kallas also said she is working with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a new security strategy aimed at reinforcing defense capabilities and strengthening the European economy, stressing that European security is “indivisible.”
Several European officials at the Munich conference emphasized the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defense in the face of Russia’s actions and amid questions about the future reliability of U.S. security commitments
