You have been in office for a few months now, so how do you compare this role with your previous work as Estonian prime minister?

This is harder. For several reasons. First, as prime minister you get three coalition partners, but here you have 27 partners you constantly have to coordinate and align things with. Second, your area of work spans the entire globe, and every global issue lands on your desk. Third, your schedule is completely beyond your control. There are simply so many things to lead on and do, that it eats up all of your time.

On February 28, you wrote on your X account that the free world needs a new leader, adding that Europeans must rise to the challenge. Has a new leader of that kind emerged, or is one emerging?

Europe is clearly stepping into that role. International organizations and countries from around the world are coming to us, as Europe is a partner they can rely on and trust.

Europe has its own values, which we have stood up for, and which many countries around the world are concerned about — for example, international law such as it is. So yes, we are definitely in the limelight. I believe the EU has a great opportunity here.

That question was also a bit of a nudge toward the Americans. How much do you have to think about the messages or even small tweets you write and state? And how do you think the Americans interpreted that particular tweet?

That I don't know. But naturally, you have to think things through very carefully. There are certain themes that are complete minefields, where every word carries a lot of weight. The Middle East is one of these — it is extremely delicate. But the risks are everywhere.

Why haven't you been able to set up a one-to-one bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio? You have met, but not directly, one-on-one.

We have both met and spoken plenty over the phone. If you look at EU level, even EU leaders haven't had any high-level meetings, for perhaps the reason that America doesn't hold the EU as an institution in very high regard.

However I wouldn't focus too much on these individual meetings; a meeting is not an end in itself. It matters when there is something to deal with, something to push forward on. And we have been able to do that with Marco Rubio at the G7 or at NATO, or various other venues where we constantly interact.

You had, or still have, a plan to send two million shells to Ukraine; what stage has that plan reached?

The plan is moving forward, slowly. Various member states are contributing. And not only member states: It has been great to see countries outside the EU also joining in. For example, the Norwegians have stated that they want to be part of it. So right now, a bit more than half is in place. We hope it moves forward quickly.

It is progressing slowly, but shouldn't it be moving faster?

It should, it should. Naturally, we would want that things move faster, that much is absolutely clear. But we are dealing with 27 democracies, where things take time.

Estonian members of the European Parliament complain about the level of support from several major powers toward helping Ukraine. Let us name them: Italy, Spain, perhaps also France. Why can't they do more to help Ukraine?

Ultimately it all comes down to domestic politics. On the one hand, the argument was that the fiscal rules didn't permit it. Now those fiscal rules have been eased, which opens up options. But in some certain countries, the war feels remote, and there isn't a strong domestic support for aiding Ukraine. So those leaders who want to support Ukraine have to invest more effort to get their people behind it.

But can you persuade them to do more? The war has been going on for over three years now, yet understanding — especially in the southwest of Europe — is changing only very slowly.

Yes, those efforts are constantly ongoing. And really in words, they do understand, and it has been explained too. But I also understand that it is hard for them to then explain this to their own people — as in peacetime, it is really tough to state why we need to invest more in defense. The need for defense only becomes clear when it is already too late.

In March, together with Britain's foreign minister, you proposed a plan to channel confiscated Russian assets into boosting European defense spending. What's the status on that now?

When it comes to using frozen Russian assets, we are in discussions with the 27 member states. We're getting ready, as there are certain risks involved and we need to find ways to mitigate those risks. Plus some states are strongly opposed to it.

Who is?

I can't start naming names, you can read all about it in the media, and it is not very difficult to figure out.

But why are they opposed to this?

One reason is that some countries are exposed to greater risks than others. For example, take Belgium, where we are sitting right now; they hold the most of the assets. As a result, they feel their risk exposure is the highest. But clearly we can also think about how to collectively manage those risks.

The war in the Middle East has once again intensified. Dozens of people are dying every day. What is the EU's plan? To pressure Israel to stop the bombing, while at the same time to get Hamas to release the remaining hostages?

This is highly, highly complex. I had a meeting with some of the Arab countries, and everyone is deeply frustrated that the conflict can't actually be halted. There just isn't the power to do so. If you look at what Europe is doing, we are trying to provide humanitarian aid to all victims, plus we have a border mission to get people out of Gaza. These are the things we're doing, yet this truly isn't enough to end the war.

The European External Action Service seems vast — around 4,000-5,000 employees. Why so many?

First off, we have 145 delegations worldwide. We represent the EU in various parts of the globe, and those offices already employ quite a large number of people. Also here at headquarters — to push things forward. I don't know if that is a lot or a little; I can't really make comparisons. But whereas Estonia has 1.3 million people, Europe has 450 million.

The beauty of this job is that I can request expert opinions from all 27 foreign ministries. That is a real plus in this work, where the very best experts across Europe are working for you, preparing the materials.

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