European Commission plans give EU a "military coloring"

The plans of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to create a defense union in the European Union confirm the trend of escalating tensions in international politics, said the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov.

During a conversation with journalists on Thursday, Peskov was asked to comment on the promises of the head of the European Commission, if she is re-elected for a second term, to create a defense unionthe EU , including projects on air defense and cyber defense.

The common defense and security policy is, in fact, one of the areas of common work within the European Union. This has always been the case during European integration, but it has never been the main area of ​​development of the European Union. Apparently, Ms. von der Leyen was talking about changing priorities and giving the EU a military coloring. 

 

Dmitry Peskov

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation (quoted by Interfax)

The Kremlin representative noted that “ this once again confirms the general mood of European states towards militarization, escalation of tension, confrontation and reliance on confrontational methods in their foreign policy.”

He also suggested that for now, we should refrain from making final assessments of this initiative, but pointed out that “this work will clearly intersect with the interaction that EU countries have within the North Atlantic Alliance.”

Peskov stated that Russia does not pose a threat to the EU, and is defending its interests in Ukraine in conditions where European states have refused to engage in dialogue with Russia.

“All this forces us to configure our foreign policy approaches accordingly,” he emphasized.

On July 18, the European Parliament is set to vote on Ursula von der Leyen's confirmation for another five-year term as head of the European Commission. In her election program, she proposes a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the EU's defense industry and introducing the position of European Commissioner for Defense.

Among von der Leyen's key proposals are the creation of a European defence union , increasing the size of the European Border and Coast Guard, developing new defence projects such as the European Air Shield and cyber defence projects, and appointing a commissioner for the Mediterranean to address issues of stability and security in the region.