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Shkruar nga Jennifer Rankin
EU officials are concerned about Trump, who has suspended US military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev, mocked Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and appeared tolerant of Vladimir Putin's deadly bombings in Ukraine.
Without mentioning US President Donald Trump by name, EU executive chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters there was a new sense of urgency in the geopolitical sphere and that "something fundamental" had changed since she began her second term in office on December 1, nearly 100 days ago.
"Our European values, democracy, freedom, the rule of law are under threat. We see that sovereignty, but also ironclad commitments are being questioned. Everything has become transactional ," von der Leyen told reporters at a press conference on Sunday.
After being repeatedly asked about the issue, von der Leyen said the US was still an ally, despite the points of division between them.
"From the European Union's perspective, I think it's a very strong wake-up call ," she said.
EU leaders last week pledged to dramatically increase military spending after von der Leyen unveiled an 800 billion euro plan to allow member states to take out loans and increase national debts without suffering penalties under the bloc's strict fiscal rules.
However, many member states want to go further, with joint borrowing to finance direct grants, rather than loans, to increase defense spending.
Asked on Sunday about such proposals, von der Leyen said all options are on the negotiating table.
"Nothing is off the table. I'm open to whatever is necessary ," she said.
Such a move would require the support of Germany, which has been against joint defense borrowing under the outgoing coalition government led by Olaf Scholz.
The incoming center-right chancellor, Friedrich Merz, however, has raised hopes of a change of heart in Berlin after he struck a quick deal with his Social Democratic coalition partners to change Germany's constitution to launch a spending plan for defense and infrastructure.
While von der Leyen repeatedly described the US as an ally, EU officials are concerned about Trump, who has suspended US military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev, mocked Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and appeared tolerant of Vladimir Putin's deadly bombing of Ukraine.
While von der Leyen spoke of support for Kiev so that Ukraine “can keep fighting,” she did not directly refer to a proposal for short-term military aid from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The former Estonian prime minister has called on member states to accelerate efforts to help Ukraine by 2025, including delivering “as soon as possible” 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, air defense systems and drones.
Following the latest devastating attacks in Ukraine this weekend that killed at least 14 and injured many more, Kallas stepped up her calls for the EU to increase military support "otherwise, even more Ukrainian civilians will pay the highest price."
Asked about Kallas' proposal and military aid to Ukraine in 2025, von der Leyen said "we will have to increase without any questions" and referred to how Kiev could benefit from the 800 billion euro plan that has not yet been finalized. / Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "TheGuardian"
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