MILAN — A senior military official of the European Union has urged the bloc to refine its mutual-defense clause and start considering the division of labor in the event of a conflict.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas pushed back on Wednesday against Donald Trump for saying that Europe lagged behind the U.S. in aid for Ukraine, and insisted the bloc must have a seat at the table when the time comes for peace talks.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas has issued an open invitation to the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to attend a meeting with the bloc in Brussels, officials said Friday.

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Kaja Kallas, called on Turkey Friday to respect the “delicate balance” in northern Syria, in response to Ankara's demand to end the territorial rule of the Kurdish YPG militias.

The EU wants peace for Ukraine, but it needs to be sustainable, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said. "Our priority is to strengthen Ukraine's position, because there are no signs that Putin wants peace.

FILE PHOTO: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas looks on, during her visit to attend a meeting on Syria, following the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

In an address to EU lawmakers, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the 27-nation bloc to 'take control' of its own security.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas praised Türkiye as an important actor in cooperation on regional issues and a strategic partner for the bloc ahead

Kallas said it is time to invest, telling an EU defence conference on Wednesday that "President Trump is right to say we don't spend enough". She added that the EU should "shoulder a fair share of responsibility" for Europe's security and that the US should remain a strong ally.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Wednesday called for a new defence agreement linking the bloc with former member Britain -- as a "key partner" in facing the threat from Russia.

The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas plans to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich next month, in what is likely to be the first formal sit-down between the two sides since a changing of the guard in Brussels.