EU defence chief says a ‘painful response’ to Russian hybrid threats is needed
Senior Baltic European Commissioners tell Euronews they are supportive of Ursula von der Leyen’s bold plans to turbocharge European defence, from a "painful" anti-hybrid warfare playbook to a new political security group.
European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius suggested that Europe should respond to Russia in a "painful" manner by developing an anti-hybrid warfare playbook. He spoke to Euronews’ flagship news programme, Europe Today, in response to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for a mechanism to counter hybrid warfare incidents.
Von der Leyen proposed the Emergency Security Protocol, which would see all member states convene to coordinate a European response to deter further escalation and mitigate impact. Kubilius stated that the European Commission is working on plans to assist countries particularly impacted by hybrid threats. Von der Leyen also proposed a new format, the European Security Council, which would include EU member states and like-minded countries such as Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada.
The purpose of this group is to address the biggest geopolitical issues facing Europe, including the actions of Russia and the withdrawal of the United States from Europe's security architecture. While the European Security Council would complement NATO, it would not duplicate efforts.
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