Euronews Briefing :Russia’s war and ‘imperialistic dreams’ cannot pay off, Kaja Kallas tells Euronews

 

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Russia’s war and ‘imperialistic dreams’ cannot pay off, Kaja Kallas tells Euronews By Euronews Brussels bureau The Ukraine war must not lead to Russia becoming richer. If anything, it should lead to punishment. That was the message delivered by Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in an interview with Euronews. “We have to say loud and clear that aggression cannot pay off,” Kallas told our colleague Efi Koutsokosta, while attending an EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, Albania. “If you attack a sovereign country, then you are not leaving with more territories or more resources, but you are punished for this because we have agreed in the international rules-based order that it's illegal to attack another country.” Kallas weighed in on the recent controversial comments made by President Emmanuel Macron of France, who suggested the West should offer Russia security guarantees to end the war. “I wouldn't offer Russia anything. I wouldn't worry about Russia right now. I would worry about Ukraine surviving. And also Russia can always go back to its borders,” Kallas said. “Of course, eventually the war has to stop, but it has to stop so that it does not pay off,” she went on. “Otherwise, it gives a signal to all the aggressors in the world or the would-be aggressors in the world that you know: 'Okay, you attack another country, and eventually you are richer because you have more territories.' It just can't pay off.” “It's not the imperialistic dreams that can be really followed here.” Since the start of the invasion on 24 February, Prime Minister Kallas has promoted a hard-line stance against the Kremlin, advocating for the harshest possible EU sanctions. But despite the eight rafts of penalties slapped by Brussels, the war rages on with increasing brutality. Parts of Ukraine have been plunged into darkness after Russia brutally shelled the country's power grid, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in winter and a new exodus of refugees. “We have intelligence that shows clearly that the sanctions are hurting Russia,” Kallas said, noting the lack of transparency in Moscow made the true impact more difficult to discern. “Remember when the Russian propagandists were talking about hunger is our last hope to lift the sanctions? They are very cynical, but the sanctions really hurt,” she added. “We need to have strategic patience in order to not lift the sanctions and see the sanctions working in the longer term.” Speaking about the EU-Western Balkans summit she had just attended, the Estonian leader said the Ukraine war has changed the way the bloc sees the issue of enlargement. “The European values that we share are the ones that are at stake in Ukraine – and Russia attacked Ukraine because it has European aspirations,” Kallas said. “So it is not in the interests of the European Union to let the different countries slip away.”  STAY TUNED On Saturday, the Briefing will be back in your inboxes with a very special edition.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? THE FRONTLINE President Vladimir Putin of Russia has admitted his invasion of Ukraine is taking longer than expected and warned the threat of nuclear warfare was growing. The US slammed Putin’s “loose talk” on nuclear weapons as “absolutely irresponsible.” Also this week, American basketball star Brittney Griner was released from Russia in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange with an arms dealer nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.” In Brussels, the European Commission unveiled plans for a new package of EU sanctions, targeting the export of drones. And Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “the spirit of Ukraine” were named TIME Magazine’s person of the year.  VETO POWER Hungary blocked this week the approval of a new EU package of financial aid for Ukraine, worth €18 billion. The money is supposed to be disbursed over the course of 2023 to help Kyiv cover its ballooning budget deficit. But Budapest opposes the issuance of fresh EU debt to finance the envelope. The Hungarian veto triggered a domino effect and prompted the delay of other three key votes, including one on an internationally-backed tax deal. SCHENGEN WAIT Another veto took place this week in Brussels: Austria blocked the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, two countries that have been waiting to join the passport-free zone since at least 2011. The Netherlands also voted against Bulgaria’s bid, arguing rule-of-law concerns. Croatia, however, managed to get a unanimous endorsement and will join Schengen as of January. Jorge Liboreiro has all the details of the momentous vote. FAILED COUP In what’s arguably one of the most bizarre stories of the year, German police arrested a group of far-right extremists who were allegedly plotting to stage an armed coup, seize power and install a new version of the old Reich. A minor aristocrat from the Reuss family, identified as Prince Heinrich XIII, is suspected of being the ringleader. As the shock grips Germany, police brace for a second wave of arrests. David Mac Dougall untangles the outlandish plot in this must-read analysis.

CHINESE PIVOT NATO has strengthened its eastern flank over Russia’s war but its focus is also starting to shift even more eastwards: China. This has led to criticism that the alliance is straying from its original mandate and that it should remain in its original form, that is trans-Atlantic. Still, China is now officially included in NATO's new Strategic Concept. Alice Tidey breaks down the implications of this pivot. IRAN PROTESTS Europe must “stand against” the crackdown on Iranian protests, says activist and journalist Taghi Rahmani. “Our people are protesting against despotism, monopoly and tyranny, and they are pointing their fingers at Mr Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, who has led our society to very bad economic and social conditions with his tyranny,” Rahmani told Euronews. Watch the interview.  BIODIVERSITY CRISIS COP15 has kicked off in Montreal, Canada, hot on the heels of the UN’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt last month. The conference is meant to tackle the world’s biodiversity crisis, which tends to get far less attention than climate change. For more, Euronews Green has the go-to-guide to understanding COP15.  RANKED The countries with the most powerful passports. SEX BAN Indonesia has approved a new criminal code that bans sex outside of marriage. Passed with the support of all political parties, it will apply to Indonesians and visitors alike with a punishment of up to one year in prison. Euronews Travel explains what the ban means for tourists.

IT'S IN THE NUMBERS Good news: the world is poised to add as much renewable power in the next five years as it did in the past 20, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Global renewable power capacity is forecast to grow by 2,400 gigawatts (GW) over the 2022-2027 period, an amount equal to China’s entire power capacity. Renewables are set to overtake coal as the largest source of global electricity as early as 2025.

EDITOR'S CHOICE How a year under Scholz has changed Germany – and Europe along the way

Olaf Scholz has not been dealt the best of hands. Replacing Angela Merkel after her 16 years of steady – if staid – rule was never going to be easy. Doing so in the midst of a brutal confluence of crises ranging from a war in Europe, the pandemic and exploding inflation has only made that job more difficult. While Merkel was seen as a tough act to follow, the first year of Scholz’s term has represented a significantly more seismic shift away from the Merkel era than anyone could have expected. The Chancellor has pushed progressive legislation, sometimes with visible awkwardness within his three-party coalition. As Scholz marks one year at the helm of the EU’s economic powerhouse, Dave Braneck examines how his leadership has changed Germany while Jessica Saltz looks into how Scholz became an important, albeit not dominant, player in Europe.

NO COMMENT For the first time, Madrid has put on an ice exhibition and it has become an instant hit, with visitors praising the amazing sculptures.

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