USA, China, and Russia are interested in a divided Europe - Kallas

The Trump administration does not like a united European Union because the bloc is a geopolitical force that Washington has to reckon with, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday, urging EU member states not to weaken the bloc by striking bilateral deals with the US. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.

"They don't like the European Union, that's very obvious. But we need to understand why they don't like the EU; why China doesn't like the EU, why Russia doesn't like it. It's because if we stick together, if we act together, then we are equal forces, we are strong,"

Kallas noted that it is "obviously easier" to deal with individual countries that are significantly smaller than with a bloc that can act as an equal power. She said rhetoric such as "my relationship with you is great, but I don't like the European Union" is part of a "divide and rule" strategy.

"I am very concerned because sometimes I see countries going down that path," she said. "Division actually works."

Several EU countries have tried to maintain their own channels of communication with Washington following Donald Trump's return to the White House, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni positioning herself as a potential bridge between Europe and the US; however, this strategy faltered following Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

Kallas urged EU countries to defend the European Union and strike deals through its institutions, stating regarding the US, China, and Russia: "Why do these states want to break up the European Union — because we are much stronger when we are together."

The former Estonian Prime Minister also stated that Europe has a "very clear understanding of the diagnosis of the disease" when it comes to China, but does not yet have an agreement on the treatment.

She said there are two options: either increasing the "morphine" — the subsidies that EU countries provide to industry, or starting "chemotherapy," meaning the use of tools the EU possesses, such as foreign direct investment, public procurement, and diversification of critical raw material supplies.

"It will be painful to use these tools because then there will be a response in the form of retaliatory measures. We are not there yet, and I worry that eventually even wealthy countries will run out of taxpayer money for subsidies, and we still won't have solved the underlying problem,"

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