US criticism of Europe's liberties 'not true,' EU must stay self-confident: Foreign policy chief

"On the US attacks on the European way and the strategy ... I think we need to be more self-confident, because all of these things you read them regarding Europe, this is not true," Kallas said during an exchange of views with the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET).

"It seems to me, it's made to be a provocation so that we would react ... There was also [an] article in Financial Times showing that the issues that they are pointing out in the national security strategy are no worse in Europe than they are in America," she added.

She noted that while such criticisms can fuel divisions both between the EU and US and among European countries themselves, the focus should remain on Europe's strategic priorities.

"In politics, if you go to debate on things that you know this is not true, then you actually take it in. I mean, we know that this is ridiculous ... The European Union is the very essence of freedom. So, any such criticism regarding the liberties should be aimed at different direction. Russia, perhaps, where dissent is banned, where free media is banned, where political opposition is banned, where X or Twitter, as we know it, is, in fact, also banned," she said.

She cautioned against engaging in finger-pointing with the US. "We can also point a lot of fingers on what is wrong in America. But this is not the way we work. We are not going to meddle with the internal affairs of other countries."

Kallas stressed that Europe is instead focusing on strengthening its own defense and reducing dependencies.

She also touched on the bloc's approach to the war in Ukraine, stressing that sustained pressure on Russia is necessary to bring it to genuine negotiations.

"We need the pressure so that Russia would come from the point where they are pretending to negotiate to actually negotiate, and we are not there," she said, warning against pushing Ukraine into concessions under duress.

Addressing skepticism about US plans and European support for Ukraine, Kallas stressed that if all EU member states had provided the same level of military assistance to Ukraine in the early months of the war as they are giving now, the outcome might have been different. "That is what we know in hindsight, whereas we have already four years into this war."

Kallas highlighted that any successful peace plan requires European unity, saying: "You can agree whatever, but if the Europeans or Ukrainians are not agreeing to this, then it just doesn't work."