STRASBOURG:
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday urged Europe to claim its independence in a “hostile” world as it condemned Russia’s invasion of Poland and prompted for stricter action against Israel over Gaza.
“The battle lines for a new world -renowned power order are being drawn right now,” Von Der Leyen told the European Parliament in the annual state of the EU Directorate.
“So yes, Europe must fight. For its place in a world in which many great powers are either controversial or openly hostile to Europe,” he said.
“This must be the moment of Europe’s independence.”
The call from the head of the 27-Nation Bloc executive power comes as he fights the criticism of a trade agreement with US President Donald Trump-which he said he had prevented “chaos”-and as the block is struggling for the unity in Gaza. But it was the war just beyond the east side of the bloc that focused after Poland and NATO, confused their defenses to face a Russian aircraft invasion.
Von der Leyen called on the breach of the airspace “reckless and unprecedented”.
Building its defenses is a central part of the EU’s agenda and Von der Leyen said that “Europe will defend every inch of its territory”.
“The east side of Europe maintains all of Europe safe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, so we must invest in supporting it,” he said. As Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine drags despite Trump’s peace, Von der Leyen promised to maintain support for Kiev and pressure on Moscow.
He said the EU wanted to make sure Russia would eventually pay for the damage caused to Ukraine, with its frozen assets funding a new “rehabilitation loan”.
Brussels will also host an international summit to try to return the abducted Ukraine children, he said.
While the EU remained largely united in Ukraine, it has gone over the Gaza war and struggled to act against Israel despite the growing public anger.
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