European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius believes that the European Union needs a clearer strategy for engagement with Russia. He expressed his opinion at the Warsaw Security Forum, where the topic 'Winning the War Before It Begins: European Strategies for Ukraine' was discussed.
'Sometimes we only think about how to defend ourselves against provocation, but Ukraine is currently engaged in a real war and can conduct it on Russian territory using deep strike capabilities. We need to support Ukraine's capabilities in this direction. If Putin does not want to end the war, we must ensure that it moves to the territory of Russia. Ukraine is managing this task well by reducing oil production in Russia.'
Kubilius noted that EU support for Ukraine since the invasion amounted to about 60 billion euros and expressed the EU's willingness to invest in its own defense at the level of 3.5%.
The Commissioner also called on the EU to actively discuss the use of frozen Russian assets that could impact international relations and warned of threats posed by Russia's shadow fleet, which could be used for hybrid attacks, including the covert launch of drones from containers.
The Ukrainian Commissioner expressed support for Ukraine and urged the EU to develop a more active strategy for engagement with Russia, as well as to be prepared for potential threats from Russia's shadow fleet.