'We've listened to Trump' on defence spending, Kaja Kallas tells Euronews at NATO summit

By&nbspEuronews

Published connected 25/06/2025 - 7:44 GMT+2•Updated 9:18

The EU has “listened to President Trump” and “everyone is doing more” to boost European defence spending, High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas told Euronews Today arsenic NATO leaders stitchery successful nan Hague connected Wednesday for a landmark summit.

Kallas was asked by Euronews’ Shona Murray to remark connected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s pre-summit connection to nan US president, lavishing praise connected his handling of nan Western confederation and nan conflict successful Iran.

"You are flying into different large occurrence successful The Hague this evening. It was not easy but we've sewage them each signed connected to 5 percent," Rutte wrote, successful a connection posted by Trump connected societal media, referencing nan target for GDP expenditure that Trump has called for from NATO members.

“Mark Rutte is speaking Trump, I deliberation he’s speaking nan connection that President Trump decidedly understands and he needs to get this across,” Kallas said. “I deliberation it very important that everyone is doing this 5% and agreeing to this.”

“President Trump has been calling for this for rather immoderate clip - that everybody should do much for their ain defence, and Europe is stepping up, we decidedly person listened to President Trump and everyone is doing more,” she said.

Asked if nan US was diverging from nan different NATO members successful its attack to Ukraine, Kallas said, “when personnel states agreed to walk much connected defence, that besides intends that they person much intends to thief Ukraine”.

“When it comes to Europe we person agreed that we will support Ukraine militarily, and we will besides put much unit connected Russia truthful that they would besides want bid successful bid extremity this warfare truthful it is very clear for us,” she said.

She said information passim nan world “is very overmuch interlinked”, citing North Korean soldiers being progressive successful Ukraine, support that Iran is giving to Russia, and sanctions circumvention by immoderate countries, “so if we don’t push backmost aggression successful 1 place, it conscionable is simply a telephone to usage aggression elsewhere”, Kallas said.

Increased defence spending is nan champion way to deflect Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, Kallas said.

“I don’t spot into Putin’s mind but looking backmost really he has been working, he understands strength,” she said, adding: “If we put much into defence, we are stronger truthful it doesn’t provoke him."

"Weakness provokes him: if he thinks that he’s stronger, he tin return up this war, past he will return up war, but if he sees that we are strong, past he doesn’t look our way, and that’s what we are doing.”