MEP warns against hasty truce deal with Putin
The leader of the European People's Party group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, has warned against a hasty agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
The German politician said this in an interview with the Funke media group, Ukrinform reports.
According to the conservative, the West should not offer Russian leader Vladimir Putin a short-term agreement, but should set clear boundaries for him.
War criminal Putin, Weber believes, is a carrier of imperial thinking, so security support for Ukraine must be strengthened in order for the war to actually end.
"We thought that this thinking ended with World War 2 in Europe. This is not the case. We are at Putin's crosshairs," Weber said.
According to the representative of the Christian Social Union, Germany currently spends only about 0.64 percent of its gross domestic product on aid to Ukraine.
“The question is not whether we as Europe will survive the war in Ukraine financially; the EU will always be in control given its financial and economic strength,” the parliamentarian noted.
“This year is about what a stable peace and security order in Europe can look like in the medium and long term,” said the leader of the conservatives in the European Parliament.
In addition, he added, Germany’s own defense spending should also be increased by more than 2 percent of GDP, which is the “absolute minimum.” Germany and Europe are in Russia’s crosshairs and should not rely solely on U.S. aid.
“Some 330 million Americans will not want to constantly protect 440 million Europeans,” said the EPP leader. He advocates joint arms purchases at the EU level, the creation of a European missile shield and a cyber defense brigade. NATO's eastern border must also be defended jointly, he believes.
As reported, Donald Trump will take office as U.S. President on January 20. Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump could force Ukraine to make far-reaching concessions to Russia.