"She eats Russians for breakfast"
European political groups have just reached an agreement on the distribution of key posts within the European Union. This agreement is to be ratified by EU-27 leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
What do we already know? Ursula von der Leyene has been reappointed head of the European Commission (for a second term). Antonio Costa, former Prime Minister of Portugal, has been appointed President of the European Council, and replacing Josep Borell, Kaja Kallas (Prime Minister of Estonia) has been given the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Kaja Kallas, who was tipped for a time to become president of the Commission, did not receive unanimous approval from the 27 member states.
Kaja Kallas's anti-Russian stance has caused much concern. As reported by L'Indépendant, "she is in fact behind restrictive legislation aimed at Estonia's Russian-speaking citizens." Last March, a European leader told Politico, "Are we really going to put someone in this post who likes to eat Russians for breakfast? Kaja Kallas, clearly amused, responded by posting a photo of her breakfast on her social media. The caption read, "My breakfast, dear Politico readers."
Kaja Kallas, who has consistently encouraged European leaders to maintain and strengthen their support for Kiev, is now on Russia's watch list. Last February, she made the decision to demolish the war memorial in Narva, in eastern Estonia, a city where 95% speak Russian. L'Indépendant gives us a brief historical reminder: "Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania, was invaded, illegally occupied and then annexed by the USSR between 1940 and 1991."
(FVDV and AsD for Tagtik/Source: L’Indépendant/Illustration: Unsplash)
