The European Union must take urgent action to introduce joint purchasing of weapons in order to standardise production and counter the threat posed by Russia, according to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, von der Leyen proposed providing advanced payment guarantees to the European arms industry in the same way that pledges were made to pharmaceutical companies for vaccines during the Covid crisis. This would be a major step towards greater integration within the EU.
The debate is separate from discussions about the supply of specific weapons such as Leopard tanks, longer range missiles or aircraft. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, has called for the EU to provide more sophisticated weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. However, the EU has so far been reluctant to provide such weapons, citing the risk of escalation.
The EU must now take decisive action to ensure that it is able to protect its member states from the threat posed by Russia. Joint purchasing of weapons is an important step in this process, and one that must be taken as soon as possible. [ad_3]
Von der Leyen Calls for EU Joint Purchasing of Weapons to Counter Putin
