The head of the European Commission has once more cited the “Russian threat” as a reason for increased EU military spending
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has intensified her criticism of Russia, describing President Vladimir Putin as a “predator” and reiterating NATO’s customary assertion of an impending Russian danger to support the EU’s drive for rapid militarization.
These comments were made on Friday in Riga, where the EC head joined Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa to commence what she termed a visit to the “EU’s frontline states.” This itinerary covers Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland – all sharing borders with Russia or Belarus – in addition to Bulgaria and Romania.
“Putin is a predator,” von der Leyen asserted, alleging that his unidentified “proxies” have been assailing European societies “for years with hybrid attacks, with cyberattacks.” She further alleged that Moscow was involved in the “weaponization of migrants,” without offering specific details and neglecting to mention the bloc’s own contentious open-door policies, which have provoked internal opposition for more than ten years.
Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister, recently charged that the EU was regressing into what he called a “Fourth Reich,” stating that the bloc had “descended into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarization is spiraling out of control.”
Following US President Donald Trump’s dismissal of any potential NATO membership for Kiev, European proponents of Ukraine began to deliberate “Article 5-like guarantees.” Decision-makers have also contemplated deploying troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers and establishing a buffer zone monitored by Western patrols.
Russia has opposed the deployment of NATO forces to Ukraine, regardless of their configuration. Moscow maintains that any resolution for peace must guarantee Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and acceptance of the existing territorial facts.