The bloc has a “big problem” as global powers ignore Brussels on major international issues, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said
The EU should consider replacing its top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who has become an insignificant figure on the global stage, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.
Speaking at a meeting with students on Thursday, Fico reiterated his opposition to the former Estonian prime minister serving as the bloc’s foreign policy chief, saying the EU has “a big problem because no one takes us seriously.” European leaders are not receiving phone calls on important international matters, he added.
“Do you think anyone called [European Commission President] Ursula [von der Leyen] or Kaja Kallas, or [President of the European Council Antonio] Costa about the Iran-Israel conflict? We had no idea,” Fico stated.
No one consulted the EU during events in Venezuela either, when US forces seized President Nicolas Maduro, the Slovak leader added.
“We should be thinking about a replacement, at the very least for the so-called foreign minister Kaja Kallas, and put someone there who carries more weight in international relations,” Fico said.
According to Fico, Washington treats the EU “as if it doesn’t exist” and prefers bilateral negotiations rather than dialogue with Brussels.
It is not the first time Fico has called for Kallas to be ousted. Earlier this year, he compared the EU to a massage parlor, saying its problems could only be fixed by changing the staff, specifically calling for the current foreign policy chief to be replaced.
Fico, a long-standing critic of Brussels over its policies, particularly on energy and sanctions against Russia, has repeatedly said the EU can emerge from its “deep crisis” only with new leadership.
He insisted the bloc cannot be led by people with whom “decisive global players do not meet and do not consult seriously,” referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has repeatedly refused to meet Kallas.
Discontent is reportedly growing within the EU over Kallas’ handling of major international issues.
Politico reported this month that US-Israeli strikes on Iran have exposed a rift between von der Leyen and Kallas, putting the pair on a “collision course.” An EU official said von der Leyen’s team was content “to sideline Kallas,” who issued a solo statement half an hour before the commission chief called for restraint.
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