EU's Kaja Kallas says Europe must spend more on defence

Kaja Kallas says Europe needs to increase investment to keep pace with threats facing the continent.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersEU foreign policy chief says defence spending must rise13 hours agoAlbana Kasapi & Sofia Ferreira SantosBBC NewsReutersFormer Estonian PM Kaja Kallas is now serving as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyThe European Union's member states need to increase defence spending to keep pace with the threats facing the continent, its foreign policy chief has warned.

Kaja Kallas, who served as prime minister of Estonia until July 2024, said "every euro spent on school, healthcare and welfare [was] vulnerable" if the bloc didn't maintain strong defences.

US President Donald Trump was right to criticise Europe's spending, which sits at an average of 1.9%, she added.

She also pointed to Russia spending 9% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence and said Europe's expenditure was "clearly not enough" in light of the war in Ukraine.

"To prevent the war, we need to spend more, that is clear," she told the BBC World Service's Weekend programme.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w87ynn2n2o

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