In her first wide-ranging speech since she was re-elected to office, Ursula von der Leyen chided politicians who instead of blaming the war “on Putin’s lust for power,” blame it “on Putin’s thirst for power.” of freedom of Ukraine”.
“In no language is peace synonymous with surrender, in no language is sovereignty synonymous with occupation”Ursula von der Leyen has said in a new rebuke to those pressuring Ukraine to accept a deal with Russia that is likely to involve ceding part of its territory.
warning that “peace cannot be taken for granted”the president of the European Commission urged her fellow leaders to reject misleading narratives that blur the lines, reverse roles and shift responsibilities in the invasion, which is now in its third year with no resolution in sight.
“Today, some politicians in our Union, and even in this part of Europe, are clouding our conversations about Ukraine. They blame the war not on the invader, but on the invaded; not on Putin’s lust for power, but on the thirst for freedom of Ukraine,” he declared on Friday at the Forum GLOBSEC de Praga.
“So I want to ask you: Would you ever blame the Hungarians of the Soviet invasion of 1956? Would they ever blame the czech of the Soviet repression of 1968? And the answer to this question is very clear: the Kremlin’s behavior was illegal and egregious then. And the behavior of Kremlin is illegal and atrocious today.”
Although he was not mentioned by name, One of the main objectives of Von der Leyen’s admonition was Viktor Orbánthe Hungarian prime minister who last month sparked a furious protest when, on an unannounced trip, he flew to Moscow and met with Putin to discuss possible ways to end the war.
Putin welcomed Orbán as a representative of the European Union, despite the fact that the prime minister lacks mandate to speak on behalf of the 27-member bloc.
The visit caused a boycott against Hungary’s semi-annual presidency of the Council of the EU, which began on July 1. Von de Leyen ordered his Commissioners to adhere to the no-appearance policy and to refrain from attending the meetings held in Budapest. Later, in his reelection speech to the European Parliament, he criticized the so-called “peace mission,” prompting loud applause from lawmakers.
On Friday, he continued the complaint, arguing that those who oppose military supplies to kyiv are not advocating peace, but “appeasement and submission.” Emboldened by his veto power, Orbán has disrupted in repeated occasions the bloc’s efforts to provide more military aid to the war-ravaged nation. As of today, Brussels has 6.5 billion euros completely paralyzed by Hungary’s opposition.
“We Europeans may have different stories. We may speak different languages, but in no language is peace synonymous with surrender. In no language is sovereignty synonymous with occupation,” he said. Von der Leyen to the Prague public.
“My position is that the paz It is not simply the absence of war. Peace is an agreement that makes war impossible and unnecessary,” he added, noting that Ukraine’s integration into the European Union should be “the core of our peace effort.”
Orbán has also questioned the aspirations of Ukraine to the EU. Its deputies have said that it will not open no chapter of the accession process during the presidency of the country.
We Europeans must be on guard
In his speech, Von der Leyen spoke at length about the urgent need to strengthen EU defense capabilitieslong disdained under the post-Cold War illusion that “peace had been achieved once and for all” and that Putin would eventually choose economic prosperity over “his delusional imperial dream.”
“The second half of the decade will be high risk. The war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East have caused geopolitics to move. Tensions are also high in the Far East,” he continued. “We Europeans must be on our guard.”
In an eloquent sign of how much times have changed, Von der Leyen said that the EU, Founded in the ashes of World War II As a peace project, it should be considered “intrinsically a security project” and called for a “systematic review” of the bloc’s defense policy.
Las guidelines of the president for a second term leave no room for doubt that Defense will be an absolute priority in the next five years. The document presents a series of proposals to increase public and private investment in the arms industry, promote cutting-edge nationally manufactured technology, organize joint purchases of military equipment, enhance cyber defense capabilities and strengthen sanctions against hybrid attacks, among others. ideas.
ADVERTISINGVon der Leyen also intends to appoint a Defense Commissioner, although it is not clear how much real power will have this new position given the limits established by the EU treaties, which leave Defense firmly in the hands of the Member States.
“While Europeans take current security threats seriously, restructuring our Defense industries will take time and large investments“he declared. “Our goal must be to build defense production the size of the continent.”
The president, a strong defender of the Transatlantic Alliance, took a moment to reflect on the importance of US support for Ukraine, which Brussels fears could evaporate if Donald Trump wins the presidential elections in November. If Washington withdraws, it would be materially impossible for Europe to fill the enormous void.
“I cannot overstate the importance of US support for Ukraine since the beginning of this war. Once again, The United States has defended the freedom of all Europeans. “I feel deeply grateful for it, but also deeply responsible,” she declared.
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