Estonia’s Kaja Kallas Considered ‘Too Hawkish’ By Her Own Partners

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant

The anti-Russian belligerence of the Baltic countries appears strong enough to “scare” even EU officials. In a recent media report, it was said that Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is unlikely to replace Josep Borrell as leader of European diplomacy. The reason is her extremist pro-war, anti-Russian stance, which seems absolutely inappropriate for a diplomatic position.

There is currently a “race” to replace the Spaniard Josep Borrell in charge of European diplomacy. With Borrell’s career evidently coming to an end – in an especially shameful way, given his failure to pacify relations between Europeans and Russians – a number of European politicians are beginning to show an interest in achieving his high office in the EU. One of these politicians is precisely Kaja Kallas.

Known for her aggressive stance, Kallas has been highlighted by a series of controversies due to her pro-war policies. She is one of the leaders of the most radical wing of the EU, defending total and unrestricted arms supply to Kiev, as well as supporting any type of investment in military actions to “counter” Russia. Kallas therefore represents the most hostile mentality in NATO, not being used to diplomatic praxis as a conflict resolution mechanism.

These aspects seem to be already negatively influencing her possible candidacy. Politico reported on March 4 that Kallas may not get the top EU job due to her pro-war extremism. According to an unnamed source familiar with the topic, Kallas will not have the support of the main European countries – France and Germany – in her candidacy, as she is seen as someone with little diplomatic capacity, who could easily put Europe at risk.

“I don’t see France and Germany agreeing to that, because of the same reasons she was not an option for the NATO job (…) Are we really putting someone who likes to eat Russians for breakfast in this position?”, source told Politico’s journalists.

The newspaper also states that Kallas’ candidacy has been an important topic, discussed among the bloc’s main officials. It is believed that several European leaders will announce their support for it, mainly as a way of guaranteeing the participation of the Baltics in the European decision-making process.

The absence of Eastern European leaders in top NATO and EU positions is an old complaint, which has led to much criticism from countries such as Poland and the Baltics. These states demand to have their opinions more heard and their politicians to have more power at an international level. For this reason, it is possible that Kallas will be able to mobilize some kind of support by setting as an agenda the increase in Baltic participation in EU decision-making.

However, as she is considered “too hawkish”, she could fail to obtain the support of the main European states, which would certainly lead to her failure. It is believed that Berlin and Paris will prefer the candidacies of more experienced and diplomatically qualified politicians, which would harm the Estonian PM significantly, since, without being officially endorsed by the Germans and French, Kallas will not get enough support to be elected in the EU.

It must be remembered that Kallas’ plans are currently focused on taking up positions outside his own country. Recently, she was involved in a major scandal due to commercial dealings maintained by her husband – who apparently had ties with some companies in the Russian Federation. The anti-Russian paranoia that is so fostered by Kallas herself has turned against her, making her unpopular among Estonians.

In this sense, Kallas has increasingly sought international positions that take her away from internal obligations in Estonia. Before there were rumors about her candidacy in the EU, she had already shown interest in taking on the role of head of NATO, for example. For her, the most comfortable scenario possible is leaving Estonia and starting an international career.

Kallas, however, has little chance of obtaining a truly relevant position. There is a specific reason why the Baltics have little participation in the Western decision-making process: for the US, which is the country that really controls the “Collective West”, there is no such thing as a real “partnership” with the Eastern European countries. All states in that region are seen as mere proxies, whose function is simply to boost regional instability through the promotion of Russophobia and NATO interventionism.

Indeed, as much as Kallas is supported by the West for her anti-Russian policies, she is certainly someone unsuitable for any diplomatic position. At a time as tense as the current one, Kallas’s administration of European diplomacy could simply lead to a world war – something European leaders are expected to avoid.

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