Summary: Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, told the Financial Times that the United States wants to "divide Europe" and does not "like the European Union." She urged EU member states to engage with the U.S. jointly rather than in separate bilateral deals, arguing unity preserves equal standing. Kallas also addressed defence procurement, saying Europe presently needs to buy American equipment because it lacks sufficient assets and capabilities, while calling for greater investment in a domestic defence industry.
In an interview published by the Financial Times, Kallas said bluntly:
"What I think is actually important for everybody to understand is that the U.S. has been very clear that they want to divide Europe. They don’t like the European Union,"
The remarks arrive amid a period of heightened strain in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump’s second term, during which the administration has repeatedly targeted the EU. Actions referenced by Kallas include the imposition of tariffs on EU member countries and others, and discussion by the U.S. president of annexing Greenland - a move the article says could effectively end the NATO alliance.
This week, the Trump administration launched trade investigations into the EU and a list of other countries - specifically China, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico - over alleged unfair trade practices. Under those investigations, the countries named could face new tariffs by this summer. The article notes those possible measures follow a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down much of the president’s tariff program last month.
Kallas told the FT that the U.S. approach toward the EU resembles tactics used by the bloc’s adversaries. She cautioned that individual EU states should avoid separate deals with Washington and instead confront pressure together, "because we are equal powers when we are together," she said.
On defence, Kallas acknowledged current European limitations, saying the bloc needed "to buy from America because we don’t have the assets or the possibilities or the capabilities that we need," and she added that Europe must invest in its own defence industry to build longer-term capacity.