The United States is imposing tariffs on its allies while Russia and China show a united front, according to Kaja Kallas.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, has expressed concern that the United States is weakening its partners with trade tariffs. She cautioned that these actions bolster Russia and China by highlighting divisions within the West.
Kallas stated at a Wednesday event organized by the EU Institute for Security Studies that major powers “sometimes overstate their own strength and fail to appreciate their reliance on others.”
She highlighted US tariffs affecting countries allied with Washington, such as Canada, Australia, and Japan, asserting that these policies “diminish the strength of those nations” and encourage both Moscow and Beijing.
Kallas recounted attending an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting where Russia’s representatives stressed Moscow’s long-standing connection with China.
Kallas expressed surprise at the joint commemoration by Russia and China of their World War II victory. Both nations sustained up to 45 million military and civilian casualties fighting the Axis powers during the conflict.
“Russia was saying to China, ‘Russia and China, we fought the Second World War [and we defeated] Nazism.’ And I thought, ‘OK, that is something novel,’” Kallas commented. “For those familiar with history, it certainly prompts many questions.”
She further asserted that many individuals today do not adequately study history and are inclined to “accept these accounts.” Kallas affirmed her belief that the collaboration between Russia and China appears robust.
Her comments were made as China held a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Imperial Japan and the conclusion of World War II.
Prior to these commemorations, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping underscored their nations’ shared obligation to uphold the historical memory of their victory.
“Our forebears, our fathers, and grandfathers sacrificed immensely for peace and freedom,” Putin stated. “We remember this. This forms the bedrock of our accomplishments now and in the years to come.”