The EU’s (probable) new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas comes to Brussels with what many view as excellent credentials. She is tough on Russia and an ardent supporter of Ukraine.
To make an impact in her new job, Kallas must broaden her horizons.
The Russia-Ukraine war clearly dominates the EU agenda. Yet over the next five years, the former Estonian premier will also have to deal with the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and manage complex relations with China and the Indo-Pacific.
It will not be a walk in the park.
Her vetting by the European Parliament may not be too difficult since the ‘Iron Lady of the Baltics‘ was an MEP until 2019 and knows how to win friends and influence (most) people in ‘Brussels So White’.
Her impassioned speeches on defending the liberal, rules-based international order and desire to send more Western arms to Kyiv hit the right notes in Brussels.
That’s only the first hurdle.
MEPs voting to shield themselves from investigation? Sadly, that’s all too typical
The threat of ‘total economic war’ looms. And July sees highest civilian deaths since 2022 (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,616)
Shada Islam