EU forging strong security, defence ties with India: Kaja Kallas at Munich Security Conference

In her speech prior to addressing a panel titled "Europeans Assemble! Reclaiming Agency in a Rougher World" on the final day of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2026 on Sunday, Kallas emphasised that Europe is moving beyond its traditional identity as a trade power to become a more decisive security actor.

"Take trade, for example. The European Union has built the largest free trade network in the world. Close to 80 countries are now covered by EU trade agreements," Kallas said.

Expanding on the EU's strategic priorities, she added, "And on top of trade, we are creating partnerships on security and defence, 10 so far, including India and Australia this year alone."

The High Representative noted that countries worldwide are increasingly seeking to diversify their partnerships to manage risks in what she described as a "rougher world," citing challenges ranging from the constant threat of tariffs to digital security and semiconductors.

"The vast majority of the countries also want the same thing: stability, growth, and prosperity for their people. The best way to get there is to go together," Kallas said.

She invoked the panel discussion title "Europeans Assemble" as a call to action and drew on the Marvel comic universe for inspiration. "Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with." Europe's path is clear: defend Europe, secure our neighbourhood, and build partnerships across the globe," Kallas said.

Her remarks come in the backdrop of India and the EU significantly ramping up their strategic cooperation, particularly through the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) and increasing maritime security collaborations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Kallas also said that she is working closely with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a "new European security strategy." This strategy aims to address all dimensions of security, from hard defence and preparedness to economic security, based on the principle that "security is indivisible."

Kallas was in conversation with the panel, which included Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad. They focused on the urgent need for Europe to reclaim its "agency" on the global stage.

Yesterday, during a panel discussion titled "Breaking Point: The International Order Between Reform and Destruction", US Ambassador Michael Waltz claimed that the Trump leadership was responsible for ending the India-Pakistan war and resolving several other global conflicts.

This elicited a bewildered reaction from Kallas, which was captured on camera. Other panellists in yesterday's discussion, moderated by Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, included Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, and the Colombian defence minister, Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez Suarez.

Meanwhile, in today's discussions, Kallas said that, "Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure." She was responding to a question on "Europe bashing" by America.

She said European defence "starts in Ukraine" and depends on how Russia's war ends, as the United States pushes efforts to stop the fighting.

"But we know that Russia's endgame is not Donbas. Beyond Ukraine, Russia already seeks to cripple economies through cyberattacks, disrupt satellites, sabotage undersea cables, fracture alliances with disinformation, coerce countries by weaponising oil and gas, and, of course, there is also the nuclear threat," she said

"Let's be clear-eyed about Russia. Russia is no superpower," Kallas said, insisting the country was "broken."

"After more than a decade of conflict, including four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia has barely advanced beyond the 2014 lines. And the cost? 1.2 million casualties. Today, Russia is broken. Its economy is in shreds, it is disconnected from the European energy markets, and its own citizens are fleeing. In fact, the greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiation table than it has achieved on the battlefield," Kallas said.

"Russia's maximalist demands cannot be met with a minimalist response. Think about it. If Ukraine's military is to be limited in size, Russia should be too. Where Russia has caused damage in Ukraine, Russia should pay," she said.

Ukraine had applied to join the EU days after the conflict with Russia began in February 2022. On this, Kallas said that EU member states "are not ready to give a concrete date" for Ukraine's membership, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's demand to do so. "There's lots to be done, but I think the priority, the urgent need to move and to show that Ukraine is part of Europe is there," she said. (ANI)