EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has called Putin a predator for escalating the conflict in Ukraine despite ongoing peace talks.
She, like many EU leaders, has called for the faster militarisation of the EU amid the looming Russian threat.
She made these comments during her visit to Latvia, which she described as a tour of the EU's frontline states. Her tour route includes Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland – all of which border Russia or pro-Russian states such as Belarus – as well as Bulgaria and Romania.
Von der Leyen said, “Putin is a predator,” accusing his mysterious “proxies” of targeting European societies “for years with hybrid attacks, with cyberattacks.”
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She added, “The Russian threat is looming large over the EU and the majority of NATO members. It is very clear that while we bolster Ukraine’s defence, we must also make greater efforts to protect our own borders.”
Earlier in March, she floated an idea to collect some €800 billion (£683 billion) through tax incentives to re-arm the bloc, though the Council only approved a €150 billion borrowing mechanism to fund the initiative.
Meanwhile, the Russian side has repeatedly condemned the militarisation of the EU, calling it a dangerous provocation that could lead to an all-out war between the two. Russian officials, including President Putin, have accused Western leaders of fearmongering to justify inflated military budgets and cover up economic failures.
Since the start of the recent negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, later joined by the United States, Moscow has rejected the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine in any capacity.
Moscow insists that any peace settlement must ensure Ukraine’s demilitarisation, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and recognition of territorial realities.
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