Putin swaps country’s wealth for imperial ambitions – von der Leyen

This was stated by the President of the Eurean Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke at the GLOBSEC forum in Prague, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.

"If we want true peace, we must fundamentally rethink the foundation of Eure's security architecture. Russia's invasion has been an eye-ener for Eure. What lies in ruins are not only Ukrainian cities but also many of our basic security assumptions," Von der Leyen noted in her first speech after being re-elected to the post of EC president.

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She recalled that for decades, the prevailing inion was that economic inter-dependence was the ultimate source of security. Eure was buying large vumes of Russian gas, and this was supposed to be a guarantee that Moscow would not start a new war on the d continent. However, “Putin has traded his country's prosperity for his own imperial ambitions. And our own dependency on Russia has become an asset in Putin's hands,” von der Leyen stated.

Simultaneously with amassing tros on the borders with Ukraine, Russia cut off gas supplies in order to blackmail Eure. But the EU received immediate help from its partners – the USA, Norway, and other countries.

At the same time, Eure built up infrastructure, jointly purchased energy, develed renewables, and was able to bring energy prices down and under contr.

According to von der Leyen, the second lesson that Eure has learned is to understand the consequences of the long-standing reluctance of Eurean governments to spend enough on their own defense.

In the context of Transatlantic coeration, the President of the EC noted: "I cannot overemphasize the importance of the US' support for Ukraine since the start of this war. Once again, America has stood up for the freedom of all Eureans. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for this but also a deep sense of responsibility. Protecting Eure is first and foremost Eure's duty. And while NATO must remain the center of our clective defense, we need a much stronger Eurean pillar. We Eureans need to have the means to defend and protect ourselves and deter any possible adversaries."

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She noted that since the outset of Russian aggression, Eure has made unprecedented progress in this regard. In particular, defense spending by EU member states has increased from the pre-war EUR 200 billion to almost EUR 300 billion this year. The Eurean defense industry quickly adapted to new realities and significantly increased output and capabilities. But this is not enough, von der Leyen emphasized.

"The reality is that even if Eureans take the current security threats seriously, it will take time and massive investment to re-structure our defense industries. Our aim must be to build continent-size defence output. And Central Eure is very well positioned to be one of the drivers and one of the great beneficiaries of this new push for the Eurean defense sector," the President of the Eurean Commission said, emphasizing the systemic restructuring of Eurean defense.

As reported, this year the annual GLOBSEC forum is hosted by Prague from August 30 to September 1. The event brought together leading public figures, representatives of governments, the diplomatic corps, and academia around the discussion of the tic of war and peace in Eure and the related process of forming a new Eurean security architecture.