The European Union should be able to act independently militarily, but this should by no means bother NATO allies, said EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
“The Europeans have to take on some of the responsibility. For that, we have to be able to deploy troops like you Americans do,” Borrell said in an interview with the US Public Broadcasting Service.
He cited the example of the evacuation from Kabul, which was secured by US forces.
“I don’t understand why a stronger Europe should worry NATO. The stronger Europe is, the stronger NATO will be, because we are part of the alliance,” added the head of EU diplomacy.
Against the background of the aggravation of the crisis in Afghanistan and criticism of the hasty withdrawal of the American military to the EU, the question of “strategic autonomy” of the union, including the creation of a European rapid reaction force, began to be discussed again.