High-intensity war in Europe ‘no longer a fantasy’: EU’s Borrell

“War is certainly looming around us. A high-intensity, conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy.”

Those are the words the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell extended during a speech delivered in Brussels on Tuesday.

“Russia threatens Europe,” Borrell continued, both through the current war in Ukraine and hybrid attacks on member states of the European Union.

It is the first time Borrell alleged so explicitly that there is a possibility of war waged by Russia against the rest of Europe.

Back in February, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Moscow could test NATO’s solidarity within three to five years.

“The Berlin Wall has been replaced with a ring of fires around us,” the Danish minister said, referring also to Israel’s ongoing savagery in the besieged Gaza Strip and instability in northern Africa.

The EU fears that the possible winning of Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November might prompt the States to retreat from its long-term role as Europe’s ultimate guard, considering that the war in Ukraine since February 2022 has exposed the EU’s underinvested defense industry and military capabilities.

Furthermore, Russia is currently pumping more weaponry and manpower in the frontlines than Ukraine is able to. The move has already triggered concerns in Western capitals that Moscow could make significant territorial gains this year.

Ukraine will lose war against Russia if US Congress does not approve military aid: Zelensky

Ukraine’s president says his country will lose the war against Russia if the US Congress does not approve a major military aid package.

European countries have boosted military production both to keep Ukraine standing against Russia through shipping weaponry to Kiev, and to re-arm their own forces.

“We need a new intergovernmental financing vehicle . . . comparable to the one that we created during the [eurozone] financial crisis,” Borrell said, referring to the urgent necessity of increasing investment in the military production.

Trump has already threatened not to defend NATO allies in Europe that do not spend enough on defense.

“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. Within an alliance the priorities for individual members may change,” Borrell said.

Moscow has repeatedly warned Western leaders against the continued supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russia says such measures will not stop Russian troops from defending its objectives and that arming Kiev would only prolong the war. 

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