Russia wants to expand the war and shows no signs of being ready to end it in the near future—all current events point to this.
This was stated by the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, during a speech at the annual EU ambassadors’ conference in Brussels.
Kallas said that one of the EU’s priorities is its own defense, including military, financial, and political support for Ukraine.
“The reason is obvious: for us, this is an existential issue,” the High Representative emphasized.
She reminded that, to date, the EU has been an important donor to Ukraine and has already provided €195 billion since 2022, not including a €90 billion support loan “currently in development.”
“Our work dismantling Russia’s shadow fleet and countering foreign interference and information manipulation in Moldova, for example, are success stories of the European External Action Service that we can be proud of,” she stressed, addressing EU ambassadors.
“Clearly, Russia is not winning. Its army is bogged down, and its economy is in sharp decline. Demographically, Russia is collapsing from within,” she noted.
She believes that the greatest threat Russia poses today is that “it gains more at the negotiating table and through cognitive warfare than it achieves on the battlefield.”
Kallas also reiterated that Russia’s maximalist demands cannot receive a minimalist response:
“It’s just common sense: if Ukraine’s army is to be limited in size, then Russia’s must be limited as well; wherever Russia has harmed Ukraine, Russia must pay; no amnesty for war crimes or crimes of aggression; and the return of deported Ukrainian children,” she emphasized.
This will only work if Russia wants peace, the EU diplomat added.
“But the grim reality is that there is no sign that Russia wants to end the war. The massive strikes on Ukraine on Saturday, which again killed many civilians, clearly show this. On the contrary, everything we see points to the conclusion that Russia wants to expand the war,” Kallas underlined.
In this context, she added that the EU is also rearming to strengthen Europe’s ability to defend itself.
“We are doing this bilaterally, as well as with our NATO allies, developing stronger European resilience within the Alliance. Deterring war is cheaper than waging it,” Kallas stated.
