EU's Kallas Urges Greater Costs on Russia After 'Reckless' Week
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament that Russia's recent actions were calculated, urging higher costs and continued support for Ukraine.
The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Europe must raise the costs it imposes on Russia, describing a series of recent incidents as deliberate rather than accidental.
Speaking during a plenary session, Kallas pointed to events over the preceding 48 hours: a Russian warship firing flares at a Danish helicopter, NATO jets shooting down a drone over Lithuania, a Russian strike on a passenger train near Ukraine's border, and Poland recovering a drone from its waters.
"We need to be clear-eyed. Those are not accidents," she said, characterising them as calculated attempts to weaken Europe's resolve, test its unity and exploit fears of escalation.
Kallas said Europe would not scale back its support for Ukraine, and that pressure on Russia would increase as Moscow escalates.
She also described what she called Russia's hybrid toolbox, saying its methods vary by target country. In some cases, she said, Moscow interferes in the information space, exploits social divisions and meddles in elections; elsewhere, attacks are physical, aimed at military infrastructure, public transport and critical infrastructure.
Because of that range, Kallas argued that combined intelligence should cover the full spectrum of Russian activity, and she encouraged member states to make greater use of the EU's Intelligence and Situation Centre, EU INTCEN.
Despite international efforts to end the war, she said, President Vladimir Putin has chosen to intensify both his war of aggression against Ukraine and hostilities against Europe. "Putin will not stop unless he's stopped," she said. "So as Russia is willing to take greater risks, Europe must impose a greater cost."
Kallas called for additional sanctions, funding cuts and continued targeting of Russia's shadow fleet, which ships illicit oil.
Her remarks came as Poland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine following a wave of Russian drone strikes near the frontier, including two that landed within kilometres of Polish territory.