The Trump administration does not like a united European Union because the bloc is a geopolitical force that Washington has to reckon with, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday, urging EU member states not to weaken the bloc by striking bilateral deals with the US, Politico reports.
Kallas noted that it is "obviously easier" to deal with individual countries that are significantly smaller than with a bloc that can act as an equal power. She said rhetoric such as "my relationship with you is great, but I don't like the European Union" is part of a "divide and rule" strategy.
"I am very concerned because sometimes I see countries going down that path," she said. "Division actually works."
Several EU countries have tried to maintain their own channels of communication with Washington following Donald Trump's return to the White House, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni positioning herself as a potential bridge between Europe and the US; however, this strategy faltered following Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV.
Kallas urged EU countries to defend the European Union and strike deals through its institutions, stating regarding the US, China, and Russia: "Why do these states want to break up the European Union — because we are much stronger when we are together."
The former Estonian Prime Minister also stated that Europe has a "very clear understanding of the diagnosis of the disease" when it comes to China, but does not yet have an agreement on the treatment.
She said there are two options: either increasing the "morphine" — the subsidies that EU countries provide to industry, or starting "chemotherapy," meaning the use of tools the EU possesses, such as foreign direct investment, public procurement, and diversification of critical raw material supplies.
