EU foreign policy chief says hybrid threats cannot become Europe's 'new normal'

BRUSSELS

Hybrid attacks against Europe—including sabotage, cyberattacks, and drone incursions—have become a "daily occurrence," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday, warning that the bloc cannot accept such threats as the "new normal."

“We must work together systematically to counter hybrid threats and restore deterrence,” she said at a joint press conference following the European Group of Five (E5) defense ministers’ meeting in Berlin.

Kallas also underscored the need to boost military mobility across EU member states.

"We need to be able to move troops and military equipment where we need them and when we need them," she said, adding that a plan to improve infrastructure for military movements, including roads, bridges, tunnels, rail lines, and airports, will be presented next week.

She said the EU’s mobility plans complement NATO’s efforts.

"We are in constant contact with NATO so that we don't duplicate, but we try to contribute,” she said.

Kallas stressed the importance of member states meeting their defense capability commitments, particularly when it comes to purchasing major equipment together through joint initiatives.

She also reaffirmed EU support for Ukraine, noting the country’s urgent need for air defense systems and ammunition.

"Some 93% of Russian targets have been civilian targets, so in order to defend their country, they need more air defense. They need more ammunition,” she said. “Russia wants to show that they can outlast us, and we have to show that that is not true.”