“She is supposed to talk about this as a former defense minister. But, most likely, her words are an expression of the discussion that has now begun in NATO. The key question still is whether they (EU. - RT ) should continue to rely on the United States unconditionally, or, finally, after all, Europe should switch to self-reliance, ”said Svetov.
According to the expert, there is a certain “tangle of questions” that is on the current agenda of NATO. Svetov emphasized that this includes statements on the creation of a European army, and on the need to increase the defense budget of all these countries.
“And she (the head of the European Commission. - RT ), as if looking at NATO seemingly from the outside, expresses this position: that the European Union should rely primarily on itself,” the political scientist concluded.
Ursula von der Leyen previously called on the EU to learn the “language of power."
She explained that, on the one hand, this means “building up our muscles” in those areas where the EU could rely on others for a long time, for example, in security policy.
Earlier, French leader Emmanuel Macron said that NATO is in a state of "brain death." He noted that Europe needs to start thinking of itself as an independent geopolitical force, otherwise it will not control its own destiny.