The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has published an article entitled “Europe must stop only reacting”
The publication states:
“The internal development of Russia, as well as the development of its foreign policy, causing such an emotional rejection in the EU and the US – this development amazed both the East and the West. It has led us to paralysis of thinking, no one knows what to do next”.
The author of the article, Reinhard Krumm, head of the Vienna office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, writes that “the first step suggests itself: we need to clearly articulate our own interests in European security policy.” Krumm is convinced that “the precarious state of European security should force the EU to enter into negotiations with Russia in order to achieve de-escalation of hotbeds of tension in Europe and begin the process of stabilizing the situation.”
According to Reinhard Krumm, Europe’s interest is associated with disarmament negotiations in both conventional and nuclear weapons. He also believes that this area cannot be left entirely in the hands of the United States and Russia.
In fact, the article deals with the need to form a strategic autonomy for Europe. Of course, Europe should articulate its interests in the security sphere of the continent, and not trail behind US policy. It is obvious that it is not in the interests of Europe to deploy US ground-based short- and medium-range missiles, albeit in conventional equipment.
In the final statement of the last NATO summit, it is said only about the refusal to deploy nuclear missiles. At the same time, the deployment of missiles in conventional equipment is a decided matter. Thus, Europe, represented by the European NATO member states, has already sacrificed its interests in favor of the United States, and for the time being one can speak of Europe’s strategic autonomy only as a dream.
Elena Panina