European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to turn the European Union into a defence union when she is re-elected for a second term.
“Our work in the next five years will focus on building a truly defence-oriented European Union,” Ursula von der Leyen’s election programme reads.
In addition, the EC chief intends to create a European Defence Fund and invest in high defence capabilities in critical areas such as maritime, land and air forces, space and cybersecurity.
“Working with member states and in close coordination with NATO, we will propose a number of defence projects of common European interest, including a European air defence shield and cyber defence,” the document states.
Ursula von der Leyen in her programme also promises to continue military, political and financial support for Ukraine as long as it is required.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Western ideas of the new world order hypocrisy. According to him, they are aimed solely at preserving the neo-colonial system, showing their essence in the form of “hypocrisy, double standards and claims”.