Head Of Foreign Policy Says Russia Poses An Existenceal Threat To EU Security

JAKARTA - EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia poses an existential threat to the security of the bloc and the only way to deal with it is to increase the defense budget.

Kallas said the European Union had been offering Russia alternatives for too long.

"Russia poses an existential threat to our security today, tomorrow, and as long as we lack investment in our defense," Kallas said in a speech at the European Defense Agency's (EDA) annual conference.

"People say I'm 'a person who is aggressive towards Russia'. I think I'm just being realistic about Russia," he continued.

Kallas, one of the EU's most vocal opponents to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also admitted that United States President Donald Trump was right when he said EU members did not spend enough funds on defense.

Earlier in the month, Trump said NATO member countries had to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense a huge increase over the current 2 percent target and a level that no NATO country has yet reached, including the United States.

"Time is not in Russia's favor. However, it is not necessarily our side. Because we haven't done enough," he said.

"There should be no doubt in our minds that we must spend more to prevent war. However, we also need to prepare ourselves for war," said Kallas.