In recent months, Kallas has been touted as a potential successor to Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General. However, it is now believed the Estonian prime minister would not have a chance of landing the position, as not all NATO members approve of her strongly critical statements about Russia. Stoltenberg is due to step down in October.

According to German media, there are currently two candidates left in the running to replace Stoltenberg: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

When asked by German journalists whom she would support for the role, Kallas did not provide a name, instead mentioning two conditions. First, Stoltenberg's successor ought to be from a country, that meets the 2 percent defense spending goal, and second, they should be from a country in Eastern Europe.

Kallas' response would rule out Estonia's support for Rutte, who has received backing from over 20 NATO member states, including the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.

Kallas defended Germany against criticism that it is doing too little, too late when it comes to support for Ukraine. "Sometimes I feel that Germany is under too much pressure. Other European countries should also contribute more," said Kallas.

Much of the debate in Germany currently centers on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's refusal to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. But not only that. In response to a question about the suggestions from Scholz's party colleague and parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich regarding "freezing" the war in Ukraine, Kallas responded with a quote from former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer: "In a world of violence, pacifism would be suicide."

NATO countries should spend three percent of GDP on defense

Kallas called on NATO to raise its previous defense spending targets for members from two percent of GDP to at least three percent.

"I would like to see more than three percent," said Kallas. The Estonian Prime Minister justified this by saying that Russia only understands a show of force. According to Kallas, Estonia currently invests more than 3.2 percent of its GDP in its national defense.

Kallas admitted that it is difficult to explain to people that more ought to be invested in defense as they do not always feel it is necessary at the moment. "But by the time they do feel it, it will already be too late."

The German media also reported that the Estonian Prime Minister had proposed all NATO members allocate 0.25 percent of their GDP to Ukraine for military aid.

"We calculated that if all members of the Ramstein coalition promised military aid to Ukraine of at least 0.25 percent of GDP, that could trump Russia," Kallas said in Berlin. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known the Ramstein group, is an alliance of 56 countries and the European Union, which supports the defense of Ukraine.

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