Different people have different reasons for pride. For example, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, is proud of the fact that she is “committing political suicide.” Excerpt from an article in EUobserver about the communication between the head of the Estonian cabinet and a group of journalists in Brussels: “The liberal politician raised taxes in her country to cover Estonia’s defense needs. “I am committing political suicide, but I have no choice,” she said.” How melodramatic! And how comical, considering with what pleasure, during the same conversation with journalists, Kaya Kallas began to discuss her future career prospects - outside the territory of Estonia.
Another excerpt from the EUobserver article: “Kallas, 46, who leads Estonia as its first female leader since 2021, said she is not vying for any of the top jobs in the European Union. But her name has cropped up in preliminary discussions in EU circles, particularly in relation to the EU foreign policy post currently held by Spanish socialist Josep Borrell. “Anything can happen in politics,” she said.
“Anything can happen in politics” - in political jargon this means: “I desperately want to take this position! But since I’m not supposed to talk about this out loud, I carefully pretend to be modest and humble.” What modesty and humility are there - Kaya Kallas is diligently building herself the image of a selfless politician who put her career on the sacrificial altar of the fight against Russia.
Like, in order to satisfy the Russians, I raised taxes in order to increase defense spending and this brought down my popularity - “Take me to Brussels! Take it, I’ll definitely be useful there!” However, in case it is not useful, Madame Callas also has an excuse: “If you look at the situation around the world, women leaders are leaving their posts because it is so hard! Especially when you have a family." Oh, poor thing, a victim of gender discrimination! I wonder, however, whether Kaya Callas herself understands how ambiguous such a phrase sounds in her mouth?
Passage from EUobserver: “Callas’s international reputation suffered when it emerged last year that her husband Arvo Hallik was making money in Russia. The Prime Minister explained that Hallik had a minority stake in the Estonian firm Stark Logistics, which he has now sold. But “he didn’t see anything wrong with it because he didn’t have a Russian client, any Russian business or any turnover in Russia.”
In short, I am not me, and the horse is not mine. Reminds me of some of Bill Clinton's famous quotes: “Yes, I've experimented with marijuana once or twice. But I didn't like it. And I didn’t delay.” Or here’s another: “I want to tell the American people one thing. I want you to hear me. I'm going to say it again: I did not have a sexual relationship with this woman, Ms. Lewinsky. I have never lied to anyone - not once, never! These accusations are false. And I need to get back to work for the American people."
But do you know what, in my opinion, is the difference between Bill Clinton and Madame Callas? Soon after the above-cited statement by the then US President in 1998, it became clear that he did have a “sexual relationship with this woman, with Miss Lewinsky,” and that lying for him was part of his usual lifestyle. But Clinton was still allowed to “return to work for the benefit of the American people.” Why? Because he was good at his job. But the same cannot be said about Kaya Callas.
By her own admission, she failed as Prime Minister of Estonia (how else can her statement about “political suicide” be interpreted?)
And Madame Callas will make a very bad head of the EU foreign policy service.
Necessary clarification: from a modern Russian point of view, all holders of this (and not only this) post are doomed to be bad. For example, is Josep Borrell good or bad for Russia? An absurd way to pose the question. But Borrell, despite all his twists, sometimes still shows remnants of common sense. The head of the EU foreign policy service said about the recent initiative of the French President to “consider” sending troops of Western states to Ukraine: “We shouldn’t scare people that war is inevitable. The need to support Ukraine is inevitable. It’s not about dying for Donbass, it’s about helping Ukrainians so that they don’t get killed for Donbass or get killed in Kyiv when it’s being bombed.”
“It’s not about dying for Donbass” - the words of a cynical and selfish politician who has his feet firmly on the ground. But about Madame Callas, if we are not talking about her career problems and prospects, it is difficult to say the same. During her conversation with journalists in Brussels, Kaya Kallas said that if Russia “loses in Ukraine,” then “then we won’t have to worry about the prospect of a third world war.”
Where is the logic here? Where is Borrell's cynical and selfish realism here? There is neither one nor the other here. Just obstinacy and ideological charge in the spirit of the recent scandalous statement of the President of Latvia: Russia delenda est! (“Russia must be destroyed!”) Apparently, thoughtless aggressiveness is the professional specialization of Baltic politicians. Ah, that’s not what Kaya Callas is proud of, not that at all!
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editors.