DOHA, Qatar — European Union international coverage chief Kaja Kallas is downplaying the Trump administration’s blistering new evaluation of Europe, even suggesting a few of its criticisms have been true.
“Europe has been underestimating its personal energy towards Russia, for instance,” Kallas mentioned whereas on a panel on the Doha Discussion board, a serious gathering of diplomats, NGOs and different worldwide leaders. “We must be extra self-confident, that’s for certain.”
The Trump administration slammed European governments in its new Nationwide Safety Technique, which the White Home launched Thursday.
The 33-page doc argued that European nations face “civilizational erasure” partially on account of their acceptance of migrants. It accused some European governments of unfairly censoring sure political events — far proper ones, for probably the most half. It additionally steered Europeans have been an impediment in efforts to finish the warfare in Ukraine.
The administration makes clear it nonetheless considers European nations necessary allies, but it surely additionally indicated it would attempt to increase far-right events on the continent. The technique doc additionally had little or no to say about Russia, which launched the Ukraine warfare and has made threatening strikes in opposition to different European governments.
As Kallas talked about, the doc spoke of a European “lack of self-confidence” in its dealings with Russia.
“European allies take pleasure in a major exhausting energy benefit over Russia by virtually each measure, save nuclear weapons. Because of Russia’s warfare in Ukraine, European relations with Russia are actually deeply attenuated, and plenty of Europeans regard Russia as an existential menace,” the technique doc states.
The panel’s moderator, CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, requested if President Donald Trump and his aides now noticed Europe as “the enemy.”
“I didn’t learn it like this,” Kallas insisted, stressing as a substitute the weather of the Trump doc that acknowledged the significance of the transatlantic relationship.
“The U.S. remains to be our largest ally,” Kallas mentioned. “We haven’t all the time seen eye-to-eye on totally different matters. However the general precept remains to be there: We’re the most important allies, and we must always stick collectively.”