Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy who has been frequently critical of Israel in its war with Hamas and escalating tensions with Hezbollah, is set to be replaced by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, according to reports from Friday.
Harsh critic of Russia
Reports describe Kallas’s foreign policy, however, as being a harsh critic of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, noting that “Israel’s success in intercepting Iran’s attack shows the power of cooperation and help from partners” in a message to other EU leaders in what she describes “will defeat Russian aggression.”
The Kremlin said that the outlook for EU-Russia ties was bad after EU leaders nominated Ursula von der Leyen for another term as European Commission president and picked Estonia’s Kallas as the next EU foreign policy chief.
“Mrs Kallas has not demonstrated any diplomatic inclinations so far either, and is well known in our country for her absolutely intransigent and sometimes even openly anti-Russian statements,” he said.