Putin’s statements about readiness to go to war with Europe should be taken seriously, - Dutch Foreign Ministry
Threats by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding a possible confrontation with Europe should be taken very seriously. Europe must strengthen its own defense capabilities.
This was stated by Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel before the start of a meeting of NATO member states' foreign ministers in Brussels, according to Censor.NET, with reference to Ukrinform.
These are, of course, terrible statements. Let's hope that this does not happen. But we must take this as a serious warning, and that increasing our defense spending is not just a desire, but a necessity in the environment in which we find ourselves," he said.
The minister also noted that the number of Russian hybrid attacks will increase, ranging from sabotage to information operations. He said that the best defense is to increase society's resilience and respond quickly to hostile actions.
"We need to ensure our resilience against such attacks. We will see more of them because, unfortunately, this is a sign of our times. This is how Russia operates. Whether it's sabotage on railways, sending drones, or disinformation. We will see all kinds of these hybrid attacks. The best way to prevent them is to have strong defenses, high awareness among the population, be resistant to Russian disinformation, and respond quickly to any of their actions to deter future attacks," he said.
According to the minister, any future agreements with Russia must be accompanied by the principle of "trust but verify." He stressed that Ukraine must have strong armed forces and obtain security guarantees from the US and European partners.
"In any deal with Putin, it is good to trust, but much better to verify. We need a strong Ukraine, an independent state with capable armed forces capable of defending itself and deterring any future attacks, as well as reliable guarantees from allies - the US and European partners," he said.
What preceded it?
- On the eve of a meeting in the Kremlin with US envoys Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin accused European governments of "sabotaging the peace process." He stated that Europe's demands were unacceptable to Moscow. Putin also said that he "does not seek war with Europe," but at the same time threatened: "If Europe wants to fight, we are ready right now."
