Trump right that EU doesn’t ‘spend enough’ on defense: Kallas

BRUSSELS (AFP): The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Wednesday that the bloc must heed US President Donald Trump’s demand to spend more on defense, as she issued a stark warning over the threat from Russia.

“President Trump is right to say that we don’t spend enough. It’s time to invest,” Kallas said, adding that the United States must remain Europe’s “strongest ally.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin only speaks the language of strength but the European Union has the strength and the means to outspend and outproduce Russia, Kallas said, adding that the EU had for too long offered Russia alternatives.

“People say I’m a ‘Russia hawk.’ I think I’m simply realistic about Russia,” she said during a speech at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency (EDA).