Media: Criticism grows over EU top foreign policy role

Tensions are emerging within the European Union over the performance of its top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, with some officials expressing dissatisfaction and accusing her of focusing too heavily on Russia, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.

The report says internal divisions within EU institutions are increasingly being described in political circles as resembling “Game of Thrones,” reflecting an intensifying struggle for influence over the bloc’s foreign policy direction in Brussels.

It also highlights growing institutional rivalry between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

“In this war, the rivalry between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas has intensified,” the publication notes, adding that the dispute reflects a broader struggle over control of European foreign policy.

According to El País, “many are dissatisfied with Kallas’s work,” with some EU diplomats describing her as too narrowly focused on Russia.

“There are those who consider the Estonian too ‘single-issue’ <...> regarding Russia,” the publication says, while also noting that critics accuse her of making a number of diplomatic missteps.

The report adds that some officials have raised concerns about Kallas’s positions on Israel and her perceived lack of expertise on Middle Eastern affairs.

At the same time, the newspaper notes that some criticisms have also been directed at von der Leyen, including what unnamed sources describe as her “insatiability,” highlighting broader internal tensions within EU leadership circles over policy direction and institutional authority.

By Sabina Mammadli