In three years, Ukraine has been on our minds. And for three months, the transatlantic bonds have also been on our minds. The reason for this is as self-evident as it is worrying, says Kristersson.
The EPP group, which includes both The Moderate Party and the Christian Democrats (KD), currently leads governments in more than half of all EU countries and is clearly the largest party in the EU Parliament.
Kristersson thinks it's time for Europe to step forward and take greater responsibility. This should be done by increasing support to Ukraine, investing more heavily in defense and Europe's own security, and boosting economic growth.
The EPP congress in Spain coincides with Donald Trump having sat for 100 days as President of the USA. He has sharply increased tariffs and Europe can no longer count on the USA taking the same leading role in NATO as before.
The rule-based world order that has been so successful, but which we have also taken for granted since the Second World War, is now on shaky ground, says Kristersson.
Regarding the peace negotiations, Kristersson reiterates that a sustainable peace in Ukraine can only be achieved from a position of strength.
A bad peace would encourage President Putin to come back and demand more. A bad peace would be a receipt for new attacks, says Kristersson.
