Brussels · WhyThe European Union is not a completely homogeneous bloc, and it has never been a completely homogeneous bloc, nor does this apply to the war in Ukraine and the danger that the imperialism of Vladimir Putin's regime may pose. In this sense, there are also two great spirits: the spirit of Eastern Europe, which seems closer to the breath of the Russian forces because of its geographical and historical proximity; And the southern region of the continent, which maintains a more peaceful tone and sees direct participation in a major war as a remote possibility.
These two sensitivities are clearly evident in the aggressive tone of language in recent days. On the one hand, the leaders of countries such as Poland and Estonia warn that the EU bloc is at the forefront of a third world war, and therefore it is necessary to prepare for it, both mentally and in terms of resources. “The doubt is when the next war will start,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the European summit last Thursday, who had previously warned that “to avoid a third world war” it was necessary “for Russia to lose Ukraine.” .
On the other hand, voices such as that of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, have been criticized in this kind of vocabulary, as is the desire to create a “war economy” or to take the arrival of World War III for granted. If Russian forces invade Ukraine. In fact, Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, explained in an interview with Country At the previous meeting of heads of state and government of the 27 countries, the Socialist leader expressed to his counterparts his alarm at the increasingly aggressive tone of the European Union. In addition, Sanchez said that the fact of feeling threatened by war in Spain “seems abstract” and that the leader of Poland, according to him, answered him categorically. “In my part of Europe, war is no longer an abstract idea,” he said. “We must act and prepare to defend ourselves.”
But Sanchez is the exception. For example, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, initially chose to keep the bridges of dialogue open with Putin, and despite leading Europe's military superpower, he was not a member state, not by a long shot, giving more military power. Support for Ukraine. However, he has made a 180-degree turn in recent months and, in an attempt to establish himself as a strong ally of Volodymyr Zelensky, opened the door to sending NATO troops into Ukraine.
By the same token, and although not making as much noise as Macron, Germany has been the European partner that has provided the most military support to Kiev, and the partner that is putting the most pressure on other member states to increase their commitment to Ukraine. In this way, the EU's largest country has abandoned the clearly pacifist tone it has followed since the end of World War II: it is one of the NATO Allies that is rearming faster and restructuring its military so that it is truly prepared to wage war.
The European Union breaks the defense taboo
Aside from the leaders of Eastern European countries, the leaders of European institutions around the world have also broken the peaceful taboos on defense matters in the European Union, and have become closer to the positions of Tusk or Kalas than to the position of Sanchez. Brussels wants to strengthen the re-arming of the societal bloc in preparation for a possible war, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced before the European Parliament, and in the tone of an election rally, the purchase of large joint weapons, as happened with vaccines or gases. Commissioner for the Internal Market and Industry, Thierry Breton, went so far as to say more than once that he wanted to launch a “war economy.”
In the same context, the European People's Party's candidate for the European elections scheduled for June 9 promised that if she revalidated her mandate at the head of the European Union executive, she would create the figure of a Defense Commissioner. However, some leaders, such as the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, raised their voices against this proposal, especially since defense is the exclusive prerogative of member states, and chose to play down fears of war.
Another voice comes from Sanchismo, former Vice President of the Spanish Government and current President of the European Investment Bank (EBI), Nadia Calviño, who is also not comfortable with the request made to her by the European Commission and Member States. To change the statute of the entity it leads, which is the main financing arm of the European Union, so that it can boost EU-level investment in arms manufacturing.
Indeed, the fact that the European Union is considering changing the rules of the European Investment Bank to redirect energy transition funds toward remilitarizing the EU bloc dismays some European partners who see themselves geographically further away from Putin's clutches. In a way, it refers to the internal disputes in the European Union in terms of the sense of danger. “We are, frankly, more concerned about climate change than the cries of World War III,” admits one diplomat from a southern European country.
“Urgently send air defenses to Ukraine”
What the twenty-seven countries agreed upon at the European summit on Wednesday and Thursday was “the necessity of urgently sending air defenses to Ukraine,” as stated in the conclusions agreed upon between the European partners. In the same context, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the Atlantic allies have committed to sending this type of military equipment, and have already taken an inventory of what they have and what they can provide in Kiev in the short term.
In this sense, Patriot batteries have already been identified, for example, which includes Spain, Romania, Greece, the Netherlands, or, among other countries, Germany, which has already announced that it will send some of them this week. It is also expected that some SAMP/T variants used by France will be sent.
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