‘No doubt’ Putin doesn’t want to end war, and Europeans must ensure Ukraine remains strong, Germany’s Pistorius says
Pistorius also warns that continued talks about peace deals remains mostly “wishful thinking,” as “diplomatic efforts fail to bring about any meaningful breakthrough” in the war.
He says that “all of this leaves no doubt … [that] Vladimir Putin does not want a ceasefire and does not want peace for Ukraine.”
“So today, we must focus on empowering Ukraine and bolstering its defence,” he says.
“Our goal is to see Ukraine enter into meaningful negotiations to achieve lasting peace, and for that, Ukraine must be strong. This is our responsibility as Europeans.
This is a task of our time.”
He also says:
“We must and we will do more for defence in Europe. Nato must become more European in order to remain transatlantic. This is what it takes for our continent to be whole, free and at peace.”
Key events
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‘Democracy and the will of Moldovan people won,’ EU says as it welcomes pro-European vote in elections
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Every day struggle to push against people who’d ‘rather go under blanket and wait’ to realise what’s going on, Germany’s Pistorius says
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EU countries ‘had enough time’ to find alternative energy suppliers to Russia, EU defence commissioner says
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European leaders rush to congratulate Moldova ahead of European summit in Copenhagen this week
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‘No doubt’ Putin doesn’t want to end war, and Europeans must ensure Ukraine remains strong, Germany’s Pistorius says
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‘We will not be lured into Putin’s trap of continous escalation,’ Germany’s defence minister says
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‘Russia wants Nato to react … without the US,’ Zelenskyy says in call for unity
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‘Russia will not be drawing new borders in Ukraine,’ Zelenskyy says
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‘Ukraine must join the EU and it will,’ Zelenskyy says
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‘Russia is testing how far it can go,’ Zelenskyy says responding to recent Russian airspace violations
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Russia ‘failed to destabilise Moldova’ and its ‘subversive influence’ will not spread further, Zelenskyy says
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Poland’s Tusk soberly warns Europe faces ‘a new type’ of war
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‘Fight is not over, … but today we celebrate,’ former Moldovan prime minister says
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Moldovans chose ‘democracy, reform and European future,’ EU’s Costa says
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‘Tusk hails Moldova’s Sandu for ‘saving democracy and keeping European course’
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‘The will of Moldovan people has prevailed,’ Macron says as he welcomes election result
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Morning opening: Moldova chooses Europe
The commission also reiterates that it supports the opening of cluster one talks with Ukraine and Moldova “without any further delay,” while noting the decision is for the member states to make (and we know that Hungary continues to oppose it).
‘Democracy and the will of Moldovan people won,’ EU says as it welcomes pro-European vote in elections
We’ve also got an official EU line on the Moldovan elections, with the foreign policy spokesperson Guillaume Mercier saying:
“Democracy and the will of the Moldovan people won. Moldova has made it clear choice for freedom, democracy and Europe, despite all the Russian interference and the money Russia spent trying to buy votes, intimidate and spread lies.
We are impressed by the resilience of the Moldovan people and their determination to keep the country on the right track towards democracy and prosperity. The EU looks forward to working with the new parliament, and the incoming government, and we will continue supporting Moldova’s strategic objective towards EU accession as anchored in the constitution. The EU remains a committed and reliable partner for the Moldovans and for Moldova.”
The commission also pointed reporters to commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s social media statement earlier today (10:08).
At the European Commission’s midday briefing taking place now, the EU’s defence spokesperson Thomas Regnier summed up last Friday’s meeting on the EU’s proposed “drone wall” as “a productive initial exchange,” saying that “next steps … need to be discussed with other member states in a broader format.”
But he uses very careful language on shooting down anything that violates the “drone wall,” as he says it’s the member states who will remain responsible for these decisions.
Every day struggle to push against people who’d ‘rather go under blanket and wait’ to realise what’s going on, Germany’s Pistorius says
In another stark comment, Pistorius says that we need to push for “a change of mindset” against “people who are afraid of what’s going on and they’d rather go under the blanket and wait.”
“So it’s about explaining every day [our actions], about supporting Ukraine and facing the threat, making clear to ourselves it is about defending our way of living,” he says.
EU’s Kubilius also concedes that “for the time being, our capabilities to detect drones is quite limited.”
He says the EU countries have “good capabilities” on jets and “maybe missiles,” but not on drones, particularly if they are flying “really low.”
He says that’s why the EU needs to move ahead with its drone wall project, with special radars and sensors to respond to this issue.
He says there are perhaps legitimate questions as to why Europe failed to anticipate these problems and develop such infrastructure in time to be able to better respond to latest incidents.
“That’s perhaps quite natural, psychologically, when you’re not hit by the crisis,” he says, but adds he hopes to be able to move faster now.
But Germany’s Pistorius says that there is need for “expectation management” there, as the drone wall won’t be fully realised within the next few years.
“I think we need more capabilities … and that means drone defence,” but not only through “a drone wall,” but also “quicker in development” and procurement of other solutions and weapons.
“This is from my perspective very crucial,” he says.
The ministers get asked by former UK minister Tobias Ellwood about whether European countries should “stand up to Putin” and develop a “no-fly zone” over parts of Europe to block any possible incursions.
Estonia’s Pevkur says “we should have done that in 2022,” but he also notes practical limitations and difficulties in shooting down all sorts of traffic, which he says “even the Ukrainians are not able to do that.”
“You cannot put a curtain up to 10 kilometres,” he says.
EU countries ‘had enough time’ to find alternative energy suppliers to Russia, EU defence commissioner says
EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius now gets asked about continuing energy imports from Russia (hello Hungary and Slovakia, in particular), much to the annoyance of US president Donald Trump.
He says that in his personal view “they had enough time to find alternative supplies, and perhaps they will do that,” but also warns about Russia’s shadow fleet “going through the Baltic Sea, causing a lot of troubles.”
He also suggests that Russia may have recently launched drones in Europe from ships at sea.
He says “Ukraine is able to bring the war back to Russian territories with deep strikes,” and suggests the EU “could support Ukrainian capabilities in that field much more.”
Curiously, Germany’s Pistorius says that the government in Berlin pushes for voluntary conscription and training of more people trained “just in case,” but concedes that “we have problems” with infrastructure.
He says more than 150 barracks were closed since 1990s, “so we don’t have the space for full-scale conscription.”
Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans jokes that with the country’s parliamentary election set to take place next month, he doesn’t feel it’s a good moment to talk about hypothethical conscription in response to future conflicts.
But he says that there is “a broad majority in favour of having this growth path” for defence spending as agreed at Nato’s summit in the Hague earlier this year, which he insists is a major milestone for the alliance, even if “one of the key questions now in our election campaign is how to fund this.”
He says he is confident that a future coalition government will “find a path in order to fund that.”
European leaders rush to congratulate Moldova ahead of European summit in Copenhagen this week
Jennifer Rankin
in Brussels
Congratulations from European leaders are flooding in to Moldova, after the ruling pro-EU party won a convincing majority in parliamentary elections.
EU leaders will likely have a chance to address them personally to Moldova’s president Maia Sandu, who is expected to attend a European summit on Thursday.
Leaders from across the continents, barring Russia and Belarus, are invited to attend the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen on Thursday, which falls the day after an EU summit.
The EPC, the brainchild of French president Emmanuel Macron, functions as political speed dating for the leaders who attend, with multiple bilaterals and mini meetings taking place on the margins of the summit. It is likely many will want to meet Moldova’s leader to express their political support for the country’s European integration goals.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius concedes that as many countries in eastern and northern Europe “woke up” to the threat coming from Russia after its invaded Crimea in 2014, large parts of Europe “pushed the snooze button … and turned around to take another nap.”
“We are … late to explain to our population, our people, wiat is going on the eastern flank and in Russia,” he says.
Pressed on this, he acknowledges the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, but he insists there is still a clear majority in Germany for supporting Ukraine and increasing defence spending.
