Russia’s threats regarding Kaliningrad are aimed at sowing panic among Europeans and weakening support for Ukraine, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said. He made the remarks on LRT, UNN reports.
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According to Kubilius, neither NATO nor the European Union plans to attack the Kaliningrad region, as Russian politicians had previously claimed. At the same time, European officials had earlier said that the Russian enclave could become a target in the event of Moscow’s aggression against NATO or EU countries.
The European Commissioner believes that the Kremlin’s current rhetoric is part of psychological pressure on European countries.
The EU explained the purpose of Russia’s threats
These statements, as far as we can see and understand, have one goal – to cause panic among Europeans, to cause alarm. Perhaps Europeans will fall for such a hybrid psychological attack, seek ways to rapprochement with Moscow, and stop supporting Ukraine
He also commented on Russia’s threats to strike military factories in Europe that produce goods for Ukraine. According to Kubilius, such an attack would constitute military aggression against a NATO country and would meet the definition set out in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The European Commissioner added that NATO had worked through various scenarios of possible escalation by Russia. At the same time, the Alliance’s response in the event of aggression might not be solely military, and specific measures against Moscow should not be discussed publicly in advance.
It will be recalled that Putin stated that in the event of an attack on Kaliningrad, Russia would use any weapon.