EU top diplomat rejects Europe 'bashing' by US

MUNICH: EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas pushed back Sunday against "bashing" of Europe by the United States, saying Russia must be forced to make concessions in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

"Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure," Kallas said on the last day of the Munich Security Conference.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday reassured allies by saying Washington and Europe "belong together" -- but insisted the continent must defend against mass migration to protect its "civilization".

"The message that we heard is that America and Europe are intertwined, have been in the past and will be in the future. I think this is important," Kallas said.

"It is also clear that we don't see eye to eye in all the issues, and this will remain the case," she said.

The gathering in Munich has seen European officials insist that the continent must take the lead in its defense in the face of an aggressive Russia and doubts about the reliability of the United States, as President Donald Trump upends ties.

‘Need to reclaim European agency’

"There is an urgent need to reclaim European agency," Kallas said.

She said European defense "starts in Ukraine" and depends on how Russia's war ends as the United States pushes efforts to stop the fighting.

"Let's be clear-eyed about Russia. Russia is no superpower," Kallas said, insisting the country was "broken."

"The greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiation table than it has achieved on the battlefield."

Size of Russia’s military 

The EU top diplomat called for the size of Russia's military to be capped, said Moscow must pay for damages caused, and be held accountable for war crimes.

France's Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, backed calls for Europe to pay less attention to what the US says and to focus on bolstering its own capabilities.

"I think the worst lesson we could draw from this weekend is to say, well, I can cling to some love words that I heard in part of his speech and push the snooze button," Haddad said of Rubio's address.

"Focus on what we can control, focus on our rearmament, on the support for Ukraine and the threat that Russia poses to all of our democracies."