BRUSSELS

Russia is posing an existential threat to the European Union’s security and the only way to address that is to increase spending on defense, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday, adding that the EU had for too long offered Russia alternatives.

“Russia poses an existential threat to our security today, tomorrow and for as long as we underinvest in our defense,” she said during a speech at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency (EDA).

“People say I’m a ‘Russia hawk.’ I think I’m simply realistic about Russia,” Kallas said.

Kallas, one of EU’s most vocal opponents to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also acknowledged U.S. President Donald Trump was right in saying that EU members don’t spend enough on defense.

“It’s time to invest,” said Kallas a former prime minister of Estonia.

“The United States, they are our strongest ally, and must remain so.”

“The EU’s message to the US is clear, we must do more for our own defense and shoulder a fair share of responsibility for Europe’s security,” she added.

EU countries have increased their military budgets since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But politicians acknowledge they will have to go further as they struggle to match Moscow’s vast military output.

“Many of our national intelligence agencies are giving us the information that Russia could test EU’s readiness to defend itself in three to five years. Who else are we listening to?,” Kallas noted.

Kallas said Europe’s first priority must be helping Ukraine’s fatigued forces fight back against the Kremlin’s invasion as the war nears the three-year mark.

“There is absolutely no doubt that we can do more to help Ukraine. With our help, they can also win the war,” she said.

“The only language that Putin speaks is the language of strength.”

Trump has sparked fears in Europe that he could force Kiev into painful concessions in search of a quick deal with Moscow to end the conflict.

“Aggression as a foreign policy tool can never, never pay off,” Kallas said, warning the United States that its key rival China was watching for any signs of weakness.

“Ukraine’s security against Russia is security for us all.”

She said she wanted “to look into doing even more” with over 200 billion euros ($208 billion) of Russian state assets frozen in the bloc.

So far, the EU and its international partners have used the interest on the money to give Kiev a $50 billion loan, but they have refused to touch the main assets.

Beyond the United States, Kallas said the EU needed to strengthen security bonds with former member and “key partner” Britain.

“We need a mutually beneficial relationship on security and defense,” Kallas said. “A new agreement on this is a logical next step.”

EU leaders are set to meet next month in Brussels with the British prime minister and the head of NATO for a discussion on bolstering Europe’s defenses.