Callas says she has been labeled a "Russia hawk"
The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has said that some people have started calling her a "Russian hawk", although she does not attribute such characteristics to herself. She said this on January 22 at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency.
"People say I take a 'hawk' position on Russia. I think I'm just being realistic about it," she pointed out.
The definition of "hawk" in politics came from the United States, where it was the name given to supporters of escalation in the political discussion of military issues during the War of 1812 between the United States and England.
Earlier on January 22, European Council President António Costa announced that at an informal meeting on defense, European Union (EU) leaders will discuss follow-up decisions and provide policy recommendations for the White Paper on defense to be prepared by the European Commission (EC) and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
Before that, on December 27, 2024, Andrei Kortunov, the scientific director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), speaking at the Izvestia IIC, recalled the statement of Kallas, who called the withdrawal of Russian bases from the country's territory a condition for a dialog with the new Syrian authorities. He noted that the EU should discuss the problem of Syrian migrants in their countries, and the issue of human rights. However, Kallas chose instead to talk exclusively about Russia's military presence, which speaks volumes about the quality of European diplomacy, he summarized.
