EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declared that the European Union and NATO were “collaborating” on security as she met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo.
Kallas rejected claims of a growing split between the EU and NATO on European security, saying the EU was helping its member states increase defence spending and do so alongside partners including Norway, with 23 EU countries also belonging to NATO, the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported on Monday.
She said Europe was “working to be more independent” on security because “vulnerabilities are our weaknesses”, and described efforts to invest more in defence capabilities while treating security as “European and not only national.”
Kallas also referred to the war in Ukraine, saying Russia had bombed civilians overnight and calling for more action, while thanking Norway for recent support for Ukraine’s energy sector.
Gaza, the Arctic and a new EU strategy
On Gaza, she said there was a need to move to a “second phase” of the peace process and that the EU was willing to contribute, adding that the Rafah border crossing would “likely” open that day.
Asked about security in the Arctic — the region around the North Pole — Kallas said “unpredictability” would be a defining feature of the year and that discussions were under way with NATO allies on Arctic security.
She stated a new EU Arctic Strategy was being prepared and would include a greater focus on security than earlier versions, but declined to set out details because talks were ongoing.
