EU foreign policy chief: Europe must play bigger role within NATO

BRUSSLES, Jan 28 (KUNA) -- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas called on Wednesday on Europe to step up its defense efforts and assume a bigger role within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
She added that US President Donald Trump has "shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundation." Kallas made the remarks in a speech at a defense conference in the Belgian capital, Brussels, where she stressed that the European Union seeks strong transatlantic ties. "Let me be clear: we want strong transatlantic ties. The United States will remain Europe's partner and ally. But Europe needs to adapt to the new realities, as Europe is no longer Washington's primary center of gravity," she said.
She added that "this shift has been ongoing for a while," describing it as "structural, not temporary," and said this means Europe must step up, noting that "no great power in history has outsourced its survival and survived." Kallas underlined that NATO remains the "bedrock" of European security, stressing that European defense efforts should "remain complementary" to those of the alliance, while insisting that Europe needs to play a bigger role within it.
She said NATO, "especially now, as the US is setting its sights beyond Europe, needs to become more European to maintain its strength," adding, "For this, Europe must act." Kallas warned that "the risk of a full-blown return to coercive power politics, spheres of influence, and a world where might makes right is very real," stressing that Europe "must acknowledge that this tectonic shift is here to stay and act with urgency." Kallas' remarks come at a time when European countries have increased defense spending since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict started four years ago, and agreed last year to significantly raise NATO's defense spending target amid mounting US pressure.
The European Union also launched a series of initiatives it said could enable member states to invest up to an additional 800 billion euros in the defense sector.
Kallas' comments come amid growing debate over the future of Europe's reliance on the US in the field of security, as calls intensify across the continent for greater responsibility for conventional defense, with Washington's focus shifting to other international threats. (end) arn.dss