EU trying not to start quarrels, wars with US: Foreign policy chief

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The EU is trying not to start a war with the US, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said Thursday.

"We really want to stress that, of course, it doesn't mean that we always see eye to eye on different issues, but friends and allies sit down and discuss what are the worries, and come to solutions and come to, you know, compromises.

"So, this is our strategy that we are trying to do not start any kind of quarrels or wars within the United States. Because if you look what is going on in the world, we really need to stick together," Kallas said at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC.

Earlier this week, Kallas announced she would visit the US on Tuesday for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Washington seeks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

However, she did not meet Rubio on Wednesday during her trip to the capital "due to scheduling issues."

Turning to Ukraine's bid to become a NATO member, Kallas said Ukraine's path is "irreversible."

"So that was also ... a promise given to Ukraine. By the way, I had a meeting with the congressmen and, you know, one of them said that, 'We are interested in strong NATO.' I said: 'If you're interested in strong NATO, then the strongest army that there is Ukrainian. So, get them in, and we have a very strong NATO. So, but, yeah, that's not the case," she said.

Kallas said she thinks Europe "should not create any alternative" to NATO.

"And what now comes to the European side is that we need to have the interoperability of all the capabilities and stuff," she said, adding the EU is working "very closely" with NATO and sharing NATO standards for the European industry "so we could produce the same things."

"I mean in terms of crisis, when you actually need to defend yourself. ... But I don't think it is wise to totally ... shut into ourselves. We need the others. We need Türkiye. We need US. We need also other partners," she said, stressing strengthening the European industry is "definitely one part of it."