With the war in Ukraine showing no sign of abating, Russia threatening the West and fears of a derailment of the Middle East crisis at a height, European leaders pledged to strengthen the European Union’s overall defense capability.
Against the backdrop of the largest Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities and the Kremlin’s first admission that we are at war with Ukraine due to Western involvement, the “27” found that a common line of defense was required.
With Russia preparing 100,000 more troops for the front and having secured military supplies from its allies, the European Union is scrambling to make up lost ground and solve Ukraine’s military funding problem.
Leaders at the summit agreed to go ahead with the plan to buy weapons with interest from Russian assets frozen in European banks. If implemented, the first billion will be available in the summer but for Zelensky, it will be too late: “Unfortunately, the use of ammunition at the front by our soldiers is humiliating for Europe, in the sense that Europe can contribute more.” .
But European banks are resisting the plan, fearing that seizing Russian assets will damage their standing in the international financial system, and the Kremlin is warning that it will pursue them in court.
For June, the report of the Commission on the way of financing the European defense industry is referred to, due to the serious objections of the frugal states.
The Greek positions
The geopolitical crises make imperative the need to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy, emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a debate that has opened and should proceed, as European leaders agree, at a rapid pace.
We are talking about the “economy of war” and the issue of financing this common European effort to strengthen defense has been put on the table for good.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposed the issuance of targeted Eurobonds to strengthen the European defense industry, so that purchases are not made outside Europe or are minimized.
To the question of how likely a joint loan for defense is, the prime minister answered: First, Greece had raised the issue of coronavirus with a letter and welcomed the fact that some hesitant countries saw it positively.
Ukraine measures its wounds
The Russians bombed Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric plant eight times during the night. At the same time, 90 missiles and 60 drones hit dozens more energy facilities, including oil and natural gas, in a large part of the country. They caused a blackout in Kharkiv, destroyed houses and killed civilians, as Ukrainian air defenses were insufficient to counter the barrage.
The mass hammering was in retaliation for Ukrainian shelling of Russian territory but also coincided with an escalation of bellicose rhetoric from Moscow. The Kremlin changes the term “special military operation” and declares that it is at war because, it says, the West has been actively involved in Ukraine.
“It is a special military operation in principle but in practice it has turned into a war for us, after the West gradually began to increase its level of involvement in the conflict,” Peskov stressed.
And while Ukraine is losing more and more villages in Donetsk and Zaporizhia, because it has no Western weaponry to defend them, the United States is pressuring it to stop its drone attacks on Russian refineries. According to the Financial Times, the Biden administration is concerned that the international price of oil will rise amid the US election season, and that Russia will retaliate. Kiev responds that they are legitimate targets.
“We understand the appeals of the American partners but at the same time we are fighting with all the skills, means and practices we have” was the comment of the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Olga Stefanyshina.
However, at a time when Putin threatens the West with nuclear war at every opportunity, his only ally in the European Union sees excesses only on the part of Brussels. “Here in Brussels there is an atmosphere of war, language of war, logic of war. Here, in a way, the leaders are talking as if they are waging their own war against Russia,” said Viktor Orbán.
We must be prepared…
“Cynical” the statement of Dmitry Peskov according to which Russia is at war with Ukraine, the President of the European Council Charles Michel during the press conference after the Summit. Asked by ERTNews whether the EU is ready and prepared for war following the Kremlin’s statements, Mr Michel noted that Moscow recognizes that this is a “full-scale invasion, in other words war. This is a war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine.” He added that this shows that the EU is doing the right thing by working to strengthen and improve our defense preparedness.
“I want to be clear. I don’t want us to sow stress in European societies. On the other hand, we must be clear and say to the citizens of the EU, if we want peace and we want peace, if we want security and stability, it is important to improve our defense capability and build a true EU in relation to defense” he added the president of the European Council.
For her part, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, answering the same question, emphasized that “Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2022 and today’s statement proves that the Kremlin betrayed the Russian people in the last two years by hiding the facts and denying that they are at war.”
Anxiety with an eye on Moscow
Concerns about an extension of hostilities are intensifying, with a top German official estimating that Russia will attack Europe in the coming years, perhaps as early as 2026.
This is because the production of weapons has been intensified in Russia to such an extent that it could double its military power in five years, mainly in conventional weapons. This is the assessment of the German secret services.
The conclusion reached by the German intelligence services is that Vladimir Putin is intensively preparing for a large-scale conflict with NATO. This is shown, for example, in the restructuring of the Russian army, troop movements and missile deployment in the west of Russia. German intelligence concludes that an attack on NATO soil in 2026 can no longer be ruled out.
The Americans consider that something has been weakened in the war, but the assessment of the Germans coincides with the anxiety of the Baltic countries. In Lithuania, for example, they estimate that Moscow is pursuing a dual strategy of war in Ukraine on the one hand and preparation for a long-term confrontation with NATO on the other.
At the same time, Berlin and Paris announced an agreement for the joint construction of a new generation battle tank. The Franco-German company will also have a branch in Ukraine.
Source: ertnews
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