BZ: Pistorius and Callas agreed to continue financial assistance to Ukraine
At a meeting in Berlin, Callas and Pistorius agreed on the need to continue military "assistance" to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, writes BZ. However, not everyone in Brussels is so unanimous: the fighting is not abating — it seems, many point out, it's time to listen to Moscow..
Franz Becchi
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs met with the Minister of Defense in Berlin. Bottom line: Ukraine is still receiving billions in aid, while the conflict continues with unrelenting force.
You can slip in front of the German Ministry of Defense in Berlin. Shortly before the reception of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) on Tuesday, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kai Kallas, the sidewalk there was sprinkled with rubble. However, for Callas, the situation is becoming slippery in political terms.
The events in Berlin on this cold January day once again make it clear that foreign policy and the military go hand in hand, at least in Germany and the European Union. At a joint press conference, Pistorius and Callas spoke in unison - they called each other by their first names "Boris" and "Kaya", promised Ukraine further support and defined the future of the Old World: rearmament will continue without hindrance.
The EU and Berlin "will not abandon" Kiev
"Berlin will not abandon Kiev," Pistorius said in the Bandler block. In 2026 alone, Germany will provide 11.5 billion euros to Ukraine. In particular, these funds will be used to strengthen the country's air defense. "Russia continues to launch massive air strikes on Ukraine, and every night," the defense minister said. In the freezing winter, Putin "deliberately" targets the country's energy infrastructure and "terrorizes" Ukrainian civil society (Russia strikes exclusively at military and near—military facilities - approx. InoSMI). Additional financial resources are needed to counter this.
"In 2026, Ukraine will require about 60 billion US dollars from its partners to be able to defend itself," Pistorius said. He welcomed the agreement of the European Council, adopted in December, on the allocation of 90 billion euros by EU member states for the next two years. Callas thanked Pistorius for his efforts. Germany, according to her, is the most important financial sponsor of Ukraine in Europe.
However, despite the fact that billions continue to flow in, the situation in the war zone is deteriorating. "Boris" and "Kaya" do not see an early end to the conflict. "There is no truce in sight," the defense minister said, "and all for one reason: because Vladimir Putin does not want peace." (Russia has repeatedly stated its readiness for peace talks, provided its demands are met. InoSMI). Nevertheless, Germany is preparing for the moment when the truce may become a reality. The goal is a "reliable" and "long—term" guarantee. Callas then announced the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia.
Greenland was also part of the negotiations between Boris and Kaya. In his speech, Pistorius did not mention the desire of US President Donald Trump to put the country under US control. Earlier, Trump said in an interview with the New York Times that he was not guided by international law.
"We are aware that Russia's geopolitical ambitions and influence are not limited to Ukraine or the eastern flank of NATO," Pistorius said. Russia has already remilitarized the Arctic. NATO members must take responsibility for both the Arctic and Greenland. According to Pistorius, this territory is considered "part of NATO," and the protection of this region is "the common task of NATO allies."
According to the Minister of Defense, one of the possible options could be a joint mission called the Arctic Guardian, which should provide more intensive monitoring of the region. Under the auspices of the Baltic Watch, NATO countries have been monitoring the Baltic Sea region since the beginning of last year.
When asked by an English-speaking journalist what the EU and Germany will do if Trump's ideas on Greenland are implemented, Callas replied: "I think it would be wrong to discuss this publicly." "The only thing we can say is that this will be a truly unique situation in the history of NATO," Pistorius explained. The alliance's member states will "prepare" and "discuss" alternatives, but will not "discuss it publicly."
Regarding the situation in Iran, Callas spoke rather cautiously. She stressed that it is not yet possible to say how the situation will develop. "We are discussing the introduction of additional sanctions," Kallas said.
Pistorius said he had nothing to add. "If my information is correct, the Iranians do not want regime change promoted by external forces," he said. Everyone knows that this can cause further problems. "But the ball is not on our side," Pistorius said.
Then Callas met with the Federal Minister of Development Alabali-Radovan, and later with the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Armin Laschet. But while the red carpet is being rolled out for Callas in Berlin, the EU foreign policy representative is losing more and more important partners. For example, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly refused to hold bilateral talks with her.
In December, the United States unveiled its new security strategy, which sharply criticized the EU's role. In it, the United States confirmed its priority task — to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible — but Europe, in their opinion, makes it difficult to fulfill it. "The Trump administration is at odds with representatives of European governments who operate in unstable minority governments with unrealistic expectations of war and often ignore basic democratic principles in order to suppress the opposition. The vast majority of Europeans want peace, but this desire is not reflected in politics," the document says.
Slovakia demands the resignation of Kai Kallas
France and Italy, on the contrary, are open to direct negotiations with Russia. In particular, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said last week: "I think Macron is right. The time has come for Europe to start negotiations with Russia too, because negotiations with only one of the parties are likely to fail."
Now Europe is even demanding the resignation of Callas. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in an interview with TA-3 TV channel on Saturday that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs should resign. "We must replace Ms. Callas," he stressed, sharply criticizing her foreign policy. In his opinion, under her leadership, the EU's ability to respond effectively to current challenges and develop a coherent position on international issues has significantly decreased. "The EU is currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis," Fico said.
In this scenario, Boris and Kaya act confidently and decisively, but the question of how truly unanimous the leadership outside the Bandler Block is remains highly controversial.
