Others have defended her as a wartime leader, though a still-born €5 billion military aid proposal for Ukraine had sparked unease among some major powers, such as France.

POLITICO noted that Kallas had a "bumpy start" as head of the European External Action Service (EEAS), still seen as an outsider in the EU upper hierarchy, with one diplomat saying, "She (Kallas) is still acting like a prime minister," while a senior EU diplomat added, "The jury is still out."

The article reported that 10 EU diplomats and officials criticized Kallas for missteps in her first months, including floating heavy proposals without buy-in and taking liberties with foreign policy, such as her tweet in Kyiv, "[T]he European Union wants Ukraine to win this war," which made some uneasy, with one saying, "If you listen to her it seems we are at war with Russia, which is not the EU line."

Kallas faced criticism for her tweet about leadership after the Trump-Zelenskyy exchange in the Oval Office last month, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio, and inadequate preparation among other criticisms, though the last of these was refuted by her spokesperson.

Criticism had peaked, POLITICO said, when Kallas downgraded her plan to seek €5 billion worth of artillery shells, with two diplomats criticizing her failure to gain support from major countries like France before presenting the proposal, though one who POLITICO spoke to defended her, saying the process would have been criticized regardless.

Despite the criticism, Kallas still has supporters, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and one diplomat also said, "Overall, we are very happy with her."

Kallas was nominated next High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in June last year, while she was still Estonian prime minister, leaving the latter office in July. She started work in her current role at the start of December 2024.

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