The European Union began today discussions on the creation of its own emergency mechanism, inspired by NATO's, in response to "hybrid attacks" for which Moscow is accused, announced the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
EU defense ministers held their first discussion on this topic in Brussels today after a series of incidents in recent weeks attributed to Russia.
This initiative, recently announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is, however, causing mistrust in some EU countries, which fear duplication with the North Atlantic Alliance.
Several member states insisted "that this must necessarily be fully complementary to NATO", admitted Kallas told the media after the meeting.
"We are not creating anything additional, and the two mechanisms should work hand in hand", she said.
"It is clear that a joint approach by NATO and the EU is needed," said German Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense Sebastian Hartmann upon his arrival in Brussels.
The ministers held "only a preliminary discussion, which means that we will continue on this path," Kallas said at the end of the meeting. In her words, it is above all a matter of "seeing how the tools that the EU has in its toolbox could work together" in a situation of "hybrid attack", in other words "when it concerns an event below the threshold of armed aggression".
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently proposed that the EU adopt an emergency mechanism inspired by Article 4 of the NATO Charter, which would allow for rapid coordination and response by the bloc's member states.
Article 4 of the NATO Charter allows any member state to request urgent consultations with its allies as soon as it considers that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened, without triggering an immediate military response.
Danish military intelligence warned on Thursday that Russia is likely to carry out more hybrid attacks against Western targets, also stressing that an invasion of a NATO country is "unlikely" but still possible.
Last week, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned of Russian "hybrid threats", specifically drone and missile attacks targeting Ukraine's allies.
Russia has stepped up its pressure, especially on countries supporting Ukraine, "and we need to approach this problem calmly but decisively," said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkinen.
Russia is primarily seeking a "psychological effect" in its hybrid attacks to destabilize European countries, especially those that support Kiev, explained an EU official who wished to remain anonymous.
Kallas and a number of EU countries believe in this context that the best response is to strengthen European support for Ukrainian military efforts against Russia.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also called on European countries on Thursday to provide "more support to Ukraine if they really want to send a signal to the Russians in every incident or hybrid attack".