The new head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, in 2021, before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prevented then German Chancellor Angela Merkel from inviting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to the summit of European Union leaders in Brussels.
Then Estonian Prime Minister Kallas emphasized that the path cannot be trusted and cannot be pacified or cajoled, Politico writes.
On December 1, Callas became the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, making her the bloc’s top diplomat. Callas has a reputation as one of the most fierce representatives of European politics against Russia.
If you ask Callas where Africa is, she might tell you it’s south of Russia,” Politico quotes the irony of a senior European diplomat.
The publication described the events of summer 2021 as follows:
In June, just five months after she became Estonia’s prime minister again, Kaja Kallas walked into the European Council headquarters to confront Europe’s most powerful leader.
As media headlines warned of a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel wanted to invite the Russian president to the upcoming European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels.
The idea was supported by French President Emmanuel Macron, and Merkel intended to promote it during the European Council meeting in Brussels.
Callas had other plans.
What is this summit about? “Yes,” according to two diplomats, she asked in front of all EU leaders. Putin, she stressed, cannot be trusted and should neither be accommodated nor appeased.
Why is this? – repeated Callas, who could count on the support of several other Eastern European countries.
Merkel, unable to implement her plan without the consent of her fellow leaders, backed down.
When the German chancellor left the room, Macron did not believe that the new leader of a small EU country had dared to humiliate Merkel, by then the bloc’s main player.
According to one diplomat, the French president approached Callas and, hinting that she might face a backlash, asked:
Will you still be prime minister tomorrow?
Source: Racurs
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