Kallas Involves Ukraine in Developing New EU Defense Concept

EU diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday announced the creation of a high-level group comprising former political and military leaders from European countries and Ukraine to address the bloc's defense capabilities, according to Європейська правда.

She said this before the start of an informal meeting of EU defense ministers.

The group's task, according to Kallas, will be to "take a fresh look at how to respond to current and increasingly real military threats" to the European Union.

The group is to begin work next week. It will include former political and military leaders from several EU countries, as well as from the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

The group is to focus on the challenges facing the EU amid pressure from the United States for Europeans to take more responsibility for their own security.

Kallas explained that she brought in former senior officials because they "can say things that we as institutions cannot."

"We do not need to duplicate US capabilities, as we should focus primarily on defending European territory, but we must use our unique strengths, and there are quite a few – in particular, the innovative defense industries we have in Europe, as well as bring Ukraine's rich operational and innovative experience into the discussion", the diplomat said.

"So I am asking this group to challenge traditional thinking and look beyond just doing the same thing but on a larger scale. So, this task is to determine what Europe needs to do differently in order to be able to defend itself more effectively, faster and more wisely", Kallas added.

As a reminder, on July 28 the US Department of Defense officially began a six-month review of its military presence in Europe, which could pave the way for reducing troops on the continent.

The Pentagon's review of US troop deployments in Europe, which is expected to be completed by November 6, is reported to create at least four options for US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.