EU top diplomat nominee strongly backs Ukraine and underlines China’s links to the war

By LORNE COOK The Associated Press

Estonia's Kaja Kallas, nominee for European Union High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks during her hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Virginia Mayo]

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union must back Ukraine against Russia for as a long as it takes and persuade the United States that its strategic interests in China are tied up in the outcome of the war, the woman nominated as the bloc’s top diplomat for the next five years said Tuesday.

Questions have been raised about whether the 27-nation EU’s commitment to Ukraine would remain firm with Russia appearing to have an edge in the war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, and following the reelection of Donald Trump, who has vowed to end the conflict as U.S. president.

“Ukraine’s victory is a priority for us all. The situation on the battlefield is very difficult,” Estonia ex-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told EU lawmakers during a hearing she must pass to be appointed as foreign policy chief.

“That is why we must keep on working every day. Today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes and with as much military, financial and humanitarian aid as needed,” she said, and added that “this must be underpinned by a clear path for Ukraine to join the European Union.”

Kallas underlined China’s more covert role in the conflict.

Estonia's Kaja Kallas, nominee for European Union High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks during her hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Virginia Mayo

“Without China’s support to Russia, Russia would not be able to continue its war with the same force. China needs to also feel the higher cost,” she said, suggesting that sanctions should be considered.

Many EU leaders and representatives have long insisted that the bloc must wean itself off its security dependence on the United States, regardless of who is in power in Washington. The belief is that the U.S. is increasingly focused on its growing rivalry with China.

But Kallas noted: “If (the) U.S is worried about China, or other actors, then they should also be worried about how we respond in Russia’s war against Ukraine, because we see how Iran, North Korea, China, more covertly, and Russia are working together.”

The 47-year-old Estonian politician, who is set to take over the top EU post from Spain’s Josep Borrell, played down concerns about Trump, saying: “we are not the ones who are electing the president for our partners. So we need to work with all the administrations.”

Kallas said that she has always met with U.S. representatives from both sides and has already been in contact with people close to Trump, notably Vice President-elect JD Vance.