THE European Union The head of foreign policy says price between Western countries only serve China Interest and requests higher defense expenses to keep Russia under control.
“If the United States has a trade war with Canada, Mexico or the European Union, then who really benefits in China,” Kaja Kallas said in an interview with the Canadian press on Thursday.
Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, oversees the EU’s approach to an alarming geopolitical climate – that where the United States lets its commitment to defend NATO allies and pursues a trade war against Europe and Canada.
“We are trying to keep a fresh head,” Kallas said.
“We are also ready to really defend our interests – but that would be our wish not to have to face this, because we have so many other problems.”
These problems include the first large -scale land war in Europe for decades, budget crackles that have governments across the continent that fight to balance their books and an increase in serious weather events caused by climate change.
These threats have led Europe to turn to Canada to get help to strengthen supply chains for everything, energy food – areas covered by a free trade agreement that has been in force since 2017.
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“We must certainly deepen our cooperation in these areas, in particular in terms of economic security,” said Kallas.
Europe also turns to Canada for cooperation on military issues.
Earlier this month, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went to London for a European security conference on maintaining the support of the Allies to the Defense of Ukraine.
Europeans look forward to reports on a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and some countries have undertaken to send troops and jets to maintain peace and prevent new Russian incursions.
Canada and the EU have been talking about a possible security and defense partnership for almost a year.
The pact could be similar to those that Brussels signed with Japan and Korea that cover joint naval exercises, or its agreements with the EU countries on underwater infrastructure.
Kallas said that partnership with Canada would imply “significant cooperation with regard to the defense industry” and have standards on “investment in defense, so that we work together and that we are ready to help”.
She added that Europeans have no interest in creating “parallel structures” to reproduce the NATO military alliance.
“Canada is stronger, and NATO’s strongest European allies are, the strongest of NATO,” said Kallas.
The country of origin of Kallas, once part of the Soviet Union, has had a tumultuous relationship with Russia for decades.
She said that Canadians must understand that Russia is their neighbor of neighboring paths in the Arctic, a region that develops in geopolitical importance because of its commercial routes and critical raw materials.
“Russia is an existential threat, not only for European security, but in fact global security,” she said.
“When we allow Russia to get away with the terrestrial grabs and the attacks they make on Ukraine, then everything is in danger.”
Kallas said Europe and its peers must spend more in defense. Many NATO countries, included in Canada, are below the NATO defense expenditure target by 2% of GDP.
Some NATO allies have discussed higher defense targets of 2.5 or three percent of GDP. Kallas noted that Russia’s defense expenses represent nine percent of its GDP.
“If we do not invest enough in our defense, then they will want to reuse this military force,” she said.
“The only thing that dissuades them is strength – that we are strong enough so that they do not test us.”
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press
