Finance
EU's Kallas: Russia is posing an existential threat to our security
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 22, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
Quick Summary
EU's Kaja Kallas warns of Russia's threat to European security, urging increased defense spending. She supports higher NATO budgets to counteract Russia.
EU's Kallas Warns of Russia's Threat to European Security
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia is posing an existential threat to the European Union's security and to only way to address that is to increase spending on defence, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday, adding that the EU had for too long offered Russia alternatives.
"Russia poses an existential threat to our security today, tomorrow and for as long as we underinvest in our defence," she said during a speech at the annual conference of the European Defence Agency (EDA).
"People say I'm a 'Russia hawk'. I think I'm simply realistic about Russia," Kallas said.
Kallas, one of EU's most vocal opponents to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also acknowledged U.S. President Donald Trump was right in saying that EU members don't spend enough on defence.
Trump said earlier this month NATO members should spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence – a huge increase from the current 2% goal and a level that no NATO country, including the United States, currently reaches.
"Time is not on Russia's side. But it's not necessarily on ours either. Because we are not yet doing enough. There should be no doubt in any of our minds that we must spend more to prevent war. But we also need to prepare for war," Kallas said.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Lili Bayer and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by GV De Clercq)
Key Takeaways
- •Kaja Kallas warns of Russia's existential threat to EU security.
- •EU urged to increase defense spending to counter Russia.
- •Kallas supports Trump's call for higher NATO defense budgets.
- •EU has offered Russia alternatives for too long, says Kallas.
- •Preparation for potential conflict is necessary, Kallas asserts.
Frequently Asked Questions about EU's Kallas: Russia is posing an existential threat to our security
1What is the main topic?
The main topic is Russia's existential threat to EU security and the need for increased defense spending.
2What did Kaja Kallas emphasize?
Kallas emphasized the need for the EU to increase defense spending to counter Russia's threat.
3What is the suggested NATO defense spending?
Kallas supports Trump's suggestion for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defense.
