Europe should not blindly trust Vladimir Putin’s assurances that Russia does not intend to attack European countries. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said this in Brussels, where he met with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas.
The talks were part of a bilateral dialogue between the United Kingdom and the EU on security and defence. Streeting described Russian aggression as a common threat to the European continent and pointed to the war in Ukraine as a reason to be cautious about the Russian president’s words.
“We might take these assurances more seriously if he were not currently waging a war in Europe,” Streeting said.London and Brussels seek closer cooperation
The British minister stressed that although the United Kingdom is not a member of the EU, it is a European country and should play an active role in building the security and stability of the continent.
“We all need to work together,” Streeting said, calling for deeper cooperation between London and Brussels on defence and security.
According to him, defence cannot be viewed solely in terms of the quantity of weapons. The production capacity of Europe’s defence industry is also important. Streeting said that even if every NATO country could double its defence spending tomorrow, the industry would not be capable of absorbing those funds.
He also warned against “self-defeating protectionism”, in which the protection of national interests hinders joint efforts. In his view, closer cooperation would increase the chances of deterring Russia and other threats.
The United Kingdom remains part of the European defence architecture
Kaja Kallas commented on the failure of negotiations over the United Kingdom’s participation in the SAFE programme. She said that the country remains part of the broader European defence architecture and that there are other areas in which cooperation can be deepened.
Asked whether the United Kingdom could return to the EU, Streeting replied that the country could not first leave the union and then expect to return simply by taking a single decision.
“The bigger question is what deeper cooperation might look like, what the options are and what compromises are possible,” the British minister said.
Streeting added that both supporters and opponents of Brexit are now feeling the negative impact of leaving the EU on the British economy.
Sources: ukrinform.ua