2024-03-26 04:54:37
The problem nowadays is that we have difficulty finding heads of state, serious leaders. I think you have some here, like Boyko Borisov or Maria Gabriel. This was stated to NOVA NEWS by Estonian EPP MP Riho Terras.
We can win the war if we allocate 0.25% of GDP to Ukraine. And if we all give more than 3% to the defense of Europe, then NATO will be much stronger as an alliance. We waste a lot of money competing with each other. We need to give more money to be efficient and do it together. The experience, the technology, they are available in Europe, but we are wasting them because we are too divided. We must ensure that Vladimir Putin believes in NATO.
“Given the developing war that affects everyone, Europe needs to invest much more in developing the defense pillar and start acting as a giant in the diplomatic arena. The problem nowadays is that we have difficulty finding heads of state, serious leaders . I think you have those here, like Boyko Borisov or Maria Gabriel. 12 EU countries meet the requirement of 2% of GDP, with 18 planning to achieve it. Of the NATO countries, 18 have foreseen it for next year. But 2% do not is enough. This is agreed as a minimum,” he believes.
According to him, Europe has slowly woken up and understood that Putin is a problem. “The first signal we had to pay attention to came in 2008. Russia used its conventional military capabilities to achieve political goals. The war in Georgia was the first thing that alerted us,” the MEP pointed out.
According to him, a unified European defense means not having 36 different APCs produced in Europe, but 3 or 5. “We must be efficient in using our capabilities or building them. And give at least 2% of GDP. Estonia invests 3% and plans to increase the share. It is being discussed to raise it to 4% of GDP because we are a small country and we need more. I think others should follow suit. But if we do it efficiently we will actually save money instead of we’re losing more,” Terras stressed.
The MEP is categorical – Putin is a murderer and a dictator. “Yesterday morning I came home from Ukraine. I saw the atrocities committed by the Russian soldiers. I cannot see him as a strategist. He has not achieved any of his political goals. On the contrary, he is weakening himself every day, and and Russia, sending tens of thousands of Russian youth to lose their lives in the Ukraine. I think the first and biggest mistake, arising out of convenience for our economy, was to use cheap Russian gas and oil. We have become like drug addicts. If we get small doses of drugs, we are finally addicted. Now, 2 years after the start of this full-scale conflict, we are no longer dependent on Russian oil, which is good,” he noted.