Poroshenko warned allies at NATO PA: Europe is not ready to repel Russian aggression
Fifth President and current People’s Deputy Petro Poroshenko, who is participating in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana, noted that Europe is not currently ready to repel Russian aggression.
He called on partners to quickly shift their economies to military rails, because the Russian Federation has been doing this for a long time.
“Europe is not ready today to repel Russian aggression. Russia has radically modernized its armed forces over 11.5 years of military aggression against Ukraine. Today, the NATO Secretary General announced these figures, that in fact Russia is now spending more than 40% of its GDP on the armed forces, on war. And we have not yet reached the point of exceeding NATO member states by 3%,” Poroshenko states.
He emphasized that Europe already understands the transition from hybrid war to the phase and stage of hot war. The attitude towards war has now changed radically — from the “conflict in Ukraine” to “Russia’s war with the European Union and NATO.”
“What contributed to this understanding? The appearance of Russian drones in Polish airspace, over Munich airport, the violation of the airspace of the Baltic countries, Scandinavian countries. Not just leaders, defense ministers, parliamentarians, but also ordinary people began to perceive Russia as a threat to them personally. And this motivates countries to invest in their own defense, increase spending on supporting NATO, and, ultimately, increase spending on supporting Ukraine. Understanding that these are expenses for their own security,” Poroshenko noted.
According to him, it is necessary to transfer the economies of the European Union and NATO countries to military rails, as well as increase the production capabilities of artillery shells, electronic warfare equipment, and strike and reconnaissance drones.
“And use this experience that Ukraine has today to strengthen the defense capabilities of the continent,” the fifth President believes.
He is convinced that understanding the danger posed by Russia will lead to a qualitative change in the defense capabilities of the European Union countries.
“I can emphasize that there is a growing understanding of how great the role and opportunities, the potential of Ukraine are here. We are ready to cooperate with our colleagues. We no longer need to convince anyone. And above all, we need to maintain unity with our partners,” Petro Poroshenko summed up.
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