Josep Borrell

“In 2024 von der Leyen created a defence portfolio and appointed former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius as the first Commissioner for Defence and Space.”

“Borrell traces the pattern back to 2021, when von der Leyen and then-US president Joe Biden launched the EU-US Trade and Technology Council.”

“The clearest illustration Borrell offers happened in late June 2026. Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, had just declared Kaja Kallas persona non grata after reports that she compared Israel's …”

“Kallas, his successor since December 2024, has already encountered the same friction: banned by Israel while a commissioner visits days later.”