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Madrid – The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said yesterday that “there is no alternative to NATO” to carry out the “territorial defense of Europe” and called for “unity” and “efficiency” to prevent a victory by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Ukraine.
Borrell expressed these views during a speech on the sidelines of the NATO summit held these days in Washington, where the leaders of the countries that make up the Alliance have agreed to contribute a minimum of 40 billion euros annually to Ukraine in 2025.
The European leader pointed out that 75 years ago “the front line between democracy and authoritarian regimes was in Berlin” while “now it is in Ukraine”. “It is there where the future of Europe’s security will be decided. (…) 75 years ago, our response was unity. The United States and the free and democratic world committed to collective defense and NATO was created,” he said to underline the importance of strengthening the Alliance 75 years after its founding.
In his speech, Borrell lamented that many times people do not want to see the “obvious” and that “Putin wants Russia to dominate its neighborhood again,” since “he has never set aside his imperialist ambitions for Russia.”
The high representative of European foreign policy noted that “75 years ago, the Soviet Union emerged as a threat to freedom and democracy in Europe” and Europe responded “with unity and strength” and now, he said, “it is time to follow that same path.”
The European leader stressed the importance of European countries increasing defense budgets and boosting military equipment production. At this point, he called for “joining forces” to “fight against the challenge that Russia poses today, as if it were 75 years ago,” as he believes that only with the unity already shown in the past can “first save the Europeans and then democracy and freedoms around the world.”
Along the same lines, within the framework of the NATO summit, the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, considered the entry of Ukraine into NATO “irreversible,” although he acknowledged that “perhaps” the conditions are not yet met.
In an address at the NATO Public Forum, Sánchez emphasized support for Ukraine, as he stated, “not only is the defense of territorial integrity and freedom at stake,” but “also the respect for a world governed by clear principles and values” which are also democracy “and the right to exist.”
In this regard, he appealed to International and Humanitarian Law and a consistent political stance with Ukraine and Gaza, in which “there is no double standard.”
Regarding Ukraine’s entry into NATO, he noted that “perhaps the conditions are not yet met” but reaffirmed his support for integration, stressing that the process “is irreversible and is something that is going to happen.” “In the meantime, we have to support and strengthen Ukraine. All the member states of the NATO alliance are doing so,” he defended.
On the other hand, the head of the Spanish Executive celebrated the existence of a “detailed and expanded roadmap” for the southern flank because instability in these areas is “a threat” to the Alliance.
As he indicated, the Alliance’s adversaries “work with non-state actors to amplify the effects of terrorism, maritime insecurity, or the consequences of climate change.”
“Their goal is to weaken Euro-Atlantic security, creating a circle of instability around us and in the process damaging human and state security in these neighboring countries,” indicated Sánchez, who accused Russia of developing “links” of instability in the Sahel. (July 10)