(L-R) Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister for Defence; Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;
Credit: MAE
On Thursday 23 January 2025, Luxembourg's Minister for Defence, Yuriko Backes, met with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, in Brussels, Belgium.
As reported by Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence, this first bilateral meeting was an opportunity to exchange views on strengthening the security and defence of the European Union, in particular in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the threat Russia poses to the EU. "We must demonstrate our strength and remain true to our values", stressed Minister Backes.
Luxembourg's Defence Minister welcomed the ambition to draw up the White Paper on the Future of European Defence, which the High Representative, together with the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, will propose in the first 100 days of their mandate. In this context, Minister Backes highlighted the importance of joint acquisitions of defence capabilities at European level: "Joint acquisitions are essential. But we must speed up the procedures and the EU's efforts must be complementary to those of NATO. We must avoid duplication."
The EU High Representative and Luxembourg's Defence Minister discussed the EU's relations with NATO and the United States. For Minister Backes, these relations are essential for the security and defence of the Euro-Atlantic area.
With regard to Ukraine and Russia's war of aggression, Minister Backes stressed Luxembourg's "unwavering support" for Ukraine since the beginning. According to the minister, the deterrence capacity of the EU and NATO depends in particular on the strengthening of the military capabilities of European countries as well as the Ukrainian armed forces by all its partners.
