The European Union’s international coverage chief says tariffs between Western international locations solely serve China’s pursuits and is looking for increased defence spending to maintain Russia in examine.
“If the USA is having a commerce struggle with Canada, Mexico or the European Union, then who is basically benefiting from that is China,” Kaja Kallas mentioned in an interview Thursday with The Canadian Press.
Kallas, the previous prime minister of Estonia, is overseeing the EU’s strategy to an alarming new geopolitical local weather — one the place the U.S. hints at scaling again its dedication to defending NATO allies and pursues a commerce struggle in opposition to Europe and Canada.
“We are attempting to maintain a cool head,” Kallas mentioned.
“We’re additionally prepared to actually defend our pursuits — however it will be our want that we didn’t should take care of this, as a result of we have now so many different issues.”
These issues embody the primary large-scale land struggle in Europe in a long time, finances crunches which have governments throughout the continent struggling to steadiness their books, and a spike in extreme climate occasions attributable to local weather change.
These threats have led Europe to look to Canada for assist in shoring up provide chains for every part from meals to power — areas coated underneath a free-trade deal that has been in impact since 2017.
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“We undoubtedly have to deepen our co-operation in these areas, particularly by way of financial safety,” Kallas mentioned.
Europe can also be trying to Canada for co-operation on army issues.
Earlier this month, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to London for a European safety convention on sustaining allies’ help for Ukraine’s defence.
Europeans are anxiously watching studies a couple of attainable ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and a few international locations have pledged to ship troops and jets to take care of peace and forestall additional Russian incursions.
Canada and the EU have been speaking for almost a yr a couple of attainable safety and defence partnership.
The pact might be just like ones Brussels has signed with Japan and Korea that cowl joint naval workout routines, or its agreements with non-EU international locations on underwater infrastructure.
Kallas mentioned that the partnership with Canada would contain “necessary co-operation in relation to the defence business” and setting requirements on “investments in defence, in order that we work collectively and are prepared to assist one another.”
She added that Europeans have no real interest in creating “parallel constructions” to duplicate the NATO army alliance.
“The stronger Canada is, and the stronger European allies in NATO are, the stronger NATO is,” Kallas mentioned.
Kallas’s residence nation, as soon as a part of the Soviet Union, has had a tumultuous relationship with Russia for many years.
She mentioned Canadians want to grasp that Russia is their next-door neighbour within the Arctic, a area that’s rising in geopolitical significance because of its commerce routes and important uncooked supplies.
“Russia is an existential menace, not solely to European safety however truly world safety,” she mentioned.
“Once we permit Russia to get away with the land-grabs and assaults that they’re doing on Ukraine, then every part is in peril.”
Kallas mentioned Europe and its friends have to spend extra on defence. Many NATO international locations, Canada included, are falling wanting NATO’s defence spending goal of two per cent of GDP.
Some NATO allies have mentioned increased defence spending targets of two.5 or three per cent of GDP. Kallas famous that Russia’s defence spending quantities to 9 per cent of its GDP.
“If we’re not investing in our defence sufficient, then they’ll wish to use this army drive once more,” she mentioned.
“The one factor that deters them is energy — whether or not we’re sturdy sufficient in order that they don’t check us.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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