Putin swaps country's wealth for imperial ambitions - von der Leyen

This was stated by the President of the European 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 Europe's security architecture. Russia's invasion has been an eye-opener for Europe. 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.

She recalled that for decades, the prevailing opinion was that economic inter-dependence was the ultimate source of security. Europe was buying large volumes of Russian gas, and this was supposed to be a guarantee that Moscow would not start a new war on the old 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 troops on the borders with Ukraine, Russia cut off gas supplies in order to blackmail Europe. But the EU received immediate help from its partners – the USA, Norway, and other countries.

At the same time, Europe built up infrastructure, jointly purchased energy, developed renewables, and was able to bring energy prices down and under control.

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

In the context of Transatlantic cooperation, 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 Europeans. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for this but also a deep sense of responsibility. Protecting Europe is first and foremost Europe's duty. And while NATO must remain the center of our collective defense, we need a much stronger European pillar. We Europeans need to have the means to defend and protect ourselves and deter any possible adversaries."

She noted that since the outset of Russian aggression, Europe 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 European 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 Europeans 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 Europe is very well positioned to be one of the drivers and one of the great beneficiaries of this new push for the European defense sector," the President of the European Commission said, emphasizing the systemic restructuring of European 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 topic of war and peace in Europe and the related process of forming a new European security architecture.