Azernews.Az

European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Kaja Kallas underlined on Sunday that there is an "urgent need to reclaim European agency," adding that strengthening its defense must be one of its main goals given the situation in Ukraine, AzerNEWS reports.

She said that while Russia has been attempting to fracture alliances and poses a nuclear threat to the continent, it is "no superpower." "After more than a decade of conflict ... Russia has barely advanced beyond the 2014 lines. And the cost? 1.2 million casualties," Kallas commented at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

She went on to say that at present, Moscow is "broken," with its economy "in the shreds." "It is disconnected from the European energy markets and its own citizens are fleeing," Kallas remarked. She concluded by saying that the greatest threat for Europe right now is that Russia could "gain more at the negotiating table than at the battlefield."

She stated at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Sunday that Europe decided to rearm as it "suspects Russia doesn't want peace."

Talking about negotiations that could bring the war in Ukraine to an end, Kallas underscored that Moscow's "maximalist demands cannot be met with a minimalist response." She noted that if Ukraine must limit the size of its military, Russia should have to do that as well, further adding that the latter should also pay for the damages it caused to Ukraine.

The EU diplomat said that no amnesty should be granted for war crimes. Kallas also mentioned that the EU should focus on enlargement in the south and the east of Europe, as that is "the antidote to Russian imperialism."

Regarding Ukraine's accession to EU, she commented on that her "feeling" is that the member states are "not ready to give a concrete date" for Ukraine's accession to the bloc.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Kallas said that geopolitics are always at play when it comes to EU enlargement. Going back to Ukraine, she stressed that the bloc "needs to move fast."

While the EU might not have a concrete date at the moment, "the priority and the urgent need to show that Ukraine is a part of Europe is there," Kallas concluded.