The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated the urgent need to strengthen European defense in light of the fact that "Putin has repeatedly proven that he is a hostile neighbor," pointing out that there is also an urgent need to fill gaps in military supplies to Ukraine and provide Ukraine with reliable security guarantees. She made this statement during a speech in the European Parliament on European security on March 11, reports UNN.
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"The European security order is being shaken, and many of our illusions are being shattered. After the end of the Cold War, some believed that Russia could be integrated into the European economic and security architecture. While others hoped that we could rely indefinitely on America's full protection. And so we lowered our guard. We cut our defense spending from a standard average of 3.5% to less than half. We thought we were enjoying the peace dividend. But in reality, we simply had a security deficit," von der Leyen noted.
The President of the European Commission emphasized: "The time for illusions is over." "Europe is called to take greater responsibility for its own defense. Not in some distant future, but today. Not through gradual steps, but with the courage that the situation demands. We need a surge in European defense. And we need it now," she said.
"We need this primarily because of the situation in Ukraine. There is an urgent need to fill gaps in military supplies to Ukraine and provide Ukraine with reliable security guarantees. But this moment of reckoning concerns not only Ukraine. It is about the security of all of Europe and our entire continent. Putin has repeatedly proven that he is a hostile neighbor. He cannot be trusted; he can only be contained," von der Leyen said.
"So, this is a moment for peace through strength. This is a moment for collective defense. And at the European Council, I saw a level of consensus on European defense that is not only unprecedented but was absolutely unthinkable just a few weeks ago. A new understanding has emerged that we must think differently and act accordingly. We have begun to mobilize vast resources of Europe. In the coming weeks and months, more courage will be needed. And we face other tough choices," she emphasized.