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The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell admits war in Europe could be a real problem even if it will not begin tomorrow.
That’s according to Euractiv.
“War is certainly looming around us […], and a high-intensity, conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy,” Borrell said in a speech at an economic forum in Brussels, Euractiv reports.
Borrell’s statement concludes the previous remarks by Baltic and Nordic countries, they have been voicing such concerns in the recent months. Mostly, they all agree that Europe has 2-3 years before Russia decides to challenge NATO’s Article 5.
He also emphasized that Russia keeps posing a threat to Europe by waging a war in Ukraine as well as by orchestrating hybrid operations against Europe directly.
Hence, Borrell reminds the EU states that it is essential to keep working on strenghthening the EU’s defence industry alongside military support for Ukraine.
“EU member states created a [European] Defence Agency but did not finance it,” Borrell stressed.
As the US is struggling to approve military aid for Ukraine, Borrell that the US may pursue its own interests while Europe has to rely on its own defence capabilities as “the US umbrella, which we have relied on since the Cold War, may not be open all the time.”
“Maybe, depending on who is ruling Washington, we cannot rely on America to protect us,” the EU leader mentioned the presidential elections in terms of Europe-US relations.
Read also: Putin will end war when he realizes he can’t win it – Scholz
