Estonian PM: Europe's response to Russia's war will decide the future

GRANADA – The European Political Community summit in Granada, Spain, on Thursday focused on security and democracy, the Estonian government's communication office said.

"At today's meeting, I raised the importance of cooperation between international organizations and countries, as well as the need for a reform of the UN," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.

The fact that Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, is able to misuse the veto reduces the ability of the UN to act in accordance with its charter. In addition, Russia uses hybrid attacks to create instability, the premier said.

"Russia wants to undermine democratic processes in Europe. Our reaction to Russia's shadow war decides what kind of future we will live in," she said, adding that the round table discussion, which focused on multilateralism, also discussed how to fight against the spread of misinformation and ensure cyber security, and how to do this together with the private sector.

Kallas met bilaterally with the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osman, with whom the situation in the Western Balkans and how the European Union can help was talked about.

All European countries, except Russia and Belarus, as well as the heads of EU institutions, were invited to the third summit of the European Political Community. The next European Political Community summit will be held in the UK in the first half of next year. The previous summits took place in Moldova in 2023 and in the Czech Republic in 2022.

On Friday, Oct. 6, an informal meeting of the European Council will take place in Granada, where the topics to be discussed are the long-term strategic objectives of the European Union, issues related to the enlargement of the EU and the increased migratory pressure on Europe.