European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted and must be deterred.
The European Commission president stressed the need to revitalize Europe’s defense sector, primarily due to the situation in Ukraine.
“There is the urgent need to fill the gaps in Ukraine’s military supplies and to provide Ukraine with solid security guarantees,” she said.
Ursula von der Leyen underlined that Russian aggression concerns not only Ukraine but also the whole of Europe and affects the security of the entire continent.
“Putin has proven time and again that he is a hostile neighbor. He cannot be trusted, he can only be deterred. And we know that Russia’s military complex is outproducing ours. If we look at military expenditure in real terms, the Kremlin is spending more than all of Europe combined. Europe’s production is still on a lower order of magnitude,” she stated.
The European Commission president noted that for years, the European Parliament has been arguing that Europe must do more, and they were absolutely right. In the current more dangerous era, Europe must step up.
She also mentioned that this includes implementing the “Rearm Europe” plan presented to EU member state leaders.
“We want to pull every single financial lever we have to strengthen and fast-track our defense production. With the REARM Europe plan, we can mobilize up to €800 billion,” von der Leyen said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump resumed contact with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sparking concerns in Kyiv and among European allies that he may pressure Ukraine into accepting terms favoring Russia.
European and NATO countries meet in Paris to discuss Ukraine security guarantees
He already suspended military aid and intelligence-sharing, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Ukraine must make territorial concessions.
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