Doha, Qatar – European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas struck a conciliatory tone on Saturday, December 6, 2025, declaring the United States remains Europe's "biggest ally" despite sharp criticisms leveled against the continent in Washington's newly unveiled National Security Strategy (NSS). Speaking at the prestigious Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic gathering hosted by Qatar's foreign ministry, Kallas sought to temper transatlantic frictions sparked by the document, which accuses Europe of overregulation, censorship, and a looming "civilizational erasure" driven by migration policies.
The 33-page NSS, quietly released by the White House in the early hours of Friday, December 5, represents a bold codification of President Donald Trump’s "America First" worldview, marking a stark pivot from the Biden-era emphasis on multilateral alliances and democratic promotion. It dedicates significant space to Europe, portraying the region as enfeebled by internal failures rather than external threats like Russia or China. The strategy warns that "should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less," citing factors such as "censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition," collapsing birth rates, and immigration-driven "loss of national identities and self-confidence." It further lambasts European institutions, particularly the EU, for "undermining political liberty and sovereignty" through excessive regulation and a failure to channel public support for peace—especially in Ukraine—into actionable policy.
Kallas, who assumed her role as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy earlier this year, acknowledged the document’s barbs during a panel discussion at the forum’s opening session. "Of course, there's a lot of criticism, but I think some of it is also true," she said, conceding that Europe has at times "underestimated its own power" in dealings with adversaries like Russia. Yet, she insisted the foundational transatlantic bond endures. "The US is still our biggest ally... We haven't always seen eye to eye on different topics, but the overall principle is still there. We are the biggest allies, and we should stick together," Kallas emphasized, urging both sides to focus on mutual strengths amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Her remarks, delivered to an audience of global diplomats, policymakers, and business leaders in Doha’s opulent conference halls, came against a backdrop of heightened anxiety in European capitals. The NSS’s release has ignited a firestorm of debate, with critics decrying it as an unprecedented intervention in allied domestic affairs. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock labeled the document "patronizing and inflammatory," arguing it ignores Europe’s robust contributions to NATO and global security. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking from Paris, called for an emergency EU summit to "reassert our strategic autonomy" in response to what he termed "Washington’s cultural meddling."
The strategy’s Europe section, spanning nearly two pages, explicitly endorses "cultivating resistance" within European nations by bolstering "patriotic" political movements that prioritize nationalism over supranational integration. While avoiding direct mentions of specific parties, the language aligns closely with Trump’s longstanding admiration for figures like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, whose Fidesz party has imposed stringent anti-immigration measures and curtailed LGBTQ+ rights under the banner of "illiberal democracy." Trump has repeatedly praised Orbán as a "great leader" for his border policies, hosting him at the White House in November 2025 and Mar-a-Lago multiple times.
This ideological affinity was foreshadowed by Vice President JD Vance’s explosive address at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025. Vance stunned attendees by declaring Europe’s gravest threat was "from within"—not Moscow or Beijing—accusing leaders of eroding democratic norms through censorship and exclusionary "firewalls" against far-right groups. He lambasted policies like Germany’s non-cooperation pact with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which intelligence agencies have flagged as extremist for its anti-immigrant and neo-Nazi ties, and cited a Munich car-ramming attack by an Afghan asylum-seeker as evidence of migration’s "horrors." Vance’s post-speech meeting with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel further fueled outrage, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz invoking Germany’s Holocaust legacy to defend the firewall as a bulwark against fascism’s resurgence.
The NSS amplifies these themes, predicting that unchecked migration could render "certain NATO members majority non-European," questioning their future alliance reliability. It frames the Ukraine conflict as a symptom of Europe’s "unrealistic expectations," propped up by "unstable minority governments" that suppress peace-seeking publics through democratic subversion. Analysts note this rhetoric risks fracturing NATO unity at a pivotal moment, as U.S.-brokered talks in Florida aim to halt Russia’s invasion, now in its fourth year.
Beyond Europe, the NSS prioritizes reasserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, pledging enhanced military deployments to curb migration and drug flows from Latin America. It envisions a "Golden Dome" missile defense shield and economic decoupling from China, aiming to balloon the U.S. economy to $40 trillion by the 2030s through "reciprocity and fairness." Russia receives measured treatment—"strategic stability" rather than outright condemnation—while the Middle East and Africa merit scant attention, signaling a retreat from counterterrorism entanglements.
Kallas’s Doha intervention underscores the EU’s delicate balancing act: preserving alliance benefits like intelligence sharing and trade (valued at €1.4 trillion annually) while pushing back against perceived overreach. She advocated for European "self-confidence," particularly in countering Russian aggression, and rejected pressure on Ukraine to concede territory, warning that "limitations and stress... does not bring long-lasting peace."
As the Doha Forum continues through Sunday, with sessions on global mediation and AI governance, Kallas’s words may set the tone for upcoming EU-U.S. dialogues. Yet, with Trump’s team signaling no retreat—including potential tariffs on EU goods—the transatlantic rift appears deeper than ever. Observers warn that without recalibration, the NSS could accelerate Europe’s pivot toward strategic independence, bolstering ties with Indo-Pacific partners like Japan and India. For now, Kallas’s plea for unity serves as a diplomatic lifeline, but the strategy’s explosive content has already reshaped the alliance’s fault lines, forcing both sides to confront whether shared values can withstand such candid discord.
