Rebellion begins in Brussels; You asked for it

Brussels officials blame her the most for still "behaving like a prime minister", sources told Politico.

During her visit to Kyiv, immediately after assuming office in December, Kallas announced on the X network that "the European Union wants Ukraine to win this war", and some EU officials said they felt uneasy that the head of the European External Affairs Service, on her first day on the job, was giving herself the freedom to "exceed what they considered to be the established rhetoric during more than two years of war in Ukraine", according to the Brussels portal.

Kallas is still acting like a prime minister, one EU diplomat said on condition that his identity not be revealed, alluding to her previous role as Prime Minister of Estonia.

This source and nine other diplomats and EU officials told Politico what they see as "a series of missteps" during the first few months of Kaja Kallas' tenure, ranging from presenting important proposals for which she has no support to taking too many liberties in foreign policy statements.

Several diplomats also expressed dissatisfaction with her leadership style, complaining about what they described as a lack of consultation on sensitive issues.

During the first months of her mandate, these concerns only grew, among other things because of her strong attitude towards Russia, which distanced her from the views of members like Spain and Italy, who do not share her assessment that Moscow is an immediate threat to the EU, according to Politico.

As you listen to her, it seems we are at war with Russia, which is not the EU line, said one EU official.

Another objection refers to her proposal, after the Munich Security Conference in February, that the EU countries provide emergency military aid worth billions of euros to Ukraine after the US denied it, according to the Brussels portal.

In a two-page document late Sunday, the Estonian politician asked the union's 27 member states to find at least 1.5 million pieces of artillery ammunition, among other demands.

The two diplomats, from eastern and northern Europe, noted that Kallas had failed to gain support from major countries such as France before presenting her proposal.

Another thing that diplomats blame Kallas for is the last-minute cancellation of the meeting between the head of European diplomacy of the European Union and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the end of February in Washington, due to, as they stated, poor preparation of the meeting with the US side.

An official of the European External Affairs Service, in a statement to Politico, played down the importance of these criticisms, and said that the member states chose Kallas because they wanted a war leader who would "push things forward".

"European leaders are constantly calling for greater aid to Ukraine, it's time for action, not just words," this EEAS official emphasized.