Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – “I was honored to meet the Pope and to discuss with him at such length. We both care about peace, but also about the need to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions and that justice is done. We had many issues to discuss. Naturally, the war in Ukraine, and how to achieve a just and lasting peace.” This was said by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who in Rome also met Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. What did she discuss with Crosetto? “European defense and what more we can do in this regard. I am very grateful to Italy for the resources provided for our missions: one third of all personnel in European operations comes from Italy,” she replied. “Aspides is our operation to escort commercial ships out of the Red Sea. Italy and Greece are the main countries providing ships. I asked the other member states together with Crosetto to contribute, and now the good news is that Belgium will make a ship available and two other countries are considering taking part.” On Monday at the Defense Council, the request had fallen on deaf ears. “Since then, we have three countries that could contribute,” she added. “We also discussed the next European security strategy, in particular the emergency protocol. We have given a new name to what we call the emergency security protocol: we need to have a political platform that allows us to use the tools at our disposal to combat hybrid threats, but also to prevent them. A platform that allows us to meet, at the level of ambassadors, ministers or leaders, when something happens involving hybrid threats.” (Continued). Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – Hybrid attacks against EU countries continue. How do you intend to respond? “We are proposing further measures against Moscow. The threats and hybrid attacks that Russia is carrying out against our countries are aimed at intimidating European states so that they stop supporting Ukraine, but the exact opposite is happening. If we leave Ukraine alone while its population is being bombed, Russia wins. But then we will have more aggression,” Kallas insists. The Kremlin has again threatened to use nuclear weapons. How should this be answered? “Russia is pushing for an escalation to create fear in our societies. We must prepare for possible attacks. That is why we proposed the emergency security protocol. But sometimes it is also a matter of prevention. Take critical maritime infrastructure: member states need to protect it, and this can be done with the help of other countries and the EU.” The pro-Russian far right is growing in Europe. Are you concerned about elections in the coming months? “All our countries are democracies and all our citizens elect whoever they want. But I am concerned about these trends, because too often these parties ride the wave of disinformation. They use false narratives to convince people, they manipulate public opinion,” she concluded.
Ukraine, Kallas: “Putin wants to scare us, EU should prepare for possible attacks by Moscow”
Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – “I was honored to meet the Pope and to discuss with him at such length. We both care about peace, but also about the need to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions and that justice is done. We had many issues to discuss. Naturally, the war in Ukraine, and how to achieve a just and lasting peace.” This was said by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who in Rome also met Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. What did she discuss with Crosetto? “European defense and what more we can do in this regard. I am very grateful to Italy for the resources provided for our missions: one third of all personnel in European operations comes from Italy,” she replied. “Aspides is our operation to escort commercial ships out of the Red Sea. Italy and Greece are the main countries providing ships. I asked the other member states together with Crosetto to contribute, and now the good news is that Belgium will make a ship available and two other countries are considering taking part.” On Monday at the Defense Council, the request had fallen on deaf ears. “Since then, we have three countries that could contribute,” she added. “We also discussed the next European security strategy, in particular the emergency protocol. We have given a new name to what we call the emergency security protocol: we need to have a political platform that allows us to use the tools at our disposal to combat hybrid threats, but also to prevent them. A platform that allows us to meet, at the level of ambassadors, ministers or leaders, when something happens involving hybrid threats.” (Continued). Rome, Oct. 3 (LaPresse) – Hybrid attacks against EU countries continue. How do you intend to respond? “We are proposing further measures against Moscow. The threats and hybrid attacks that Russia is carrying out against our countries are aimed at intimidating European states so that they stop supporting Ukraine, but the exact opposite is happening. If we leave Ukraine alone while its population is being bombed, Russia wins. But then we will have more aggression,” Kallas insists. The Kremlin has again threatened to use nuclear weapons. How should this be answered? “Russia is pushing for an escalation to create fear in our societies. We must prepare for possible attacks. That is why we proposed the emergency security protocol. But sometimes it is also a matter of prevention. Take critical maritime infrastructure: member states need to protect it, and this can be done with the help of other countries and the EU.” The pro-Russian far right is growing in Europe. Are you concerned about elections in the coming months? “All our countries are democracies and all our citizens elect whoever they want. But I am concerned about these trends, because too often these parties ride the wave of disinformation. They use false narratives to convince people, they manipulate public…