By Aliyu DANLADI
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has said that she wants more rapid progress in the formation of a common European defence union.
European military units must be in a position “to get involved in conflicts robustly if necessary,’’ she said at the opening of the 17th Berlin Security Conference on Tuesday.
The way to achieve this is an ever-closer integration of national armed forces, joint procurement and maintenance of military equipment and faster political decisions about necessary missions, she added.
The conference on defence and security in Europe, which ends on Wednesday, is being attended by the military, defence politicians and representatives of the arms industry from 50 countries.
The escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows how vulnerable common European values are, von der Leyen said.
It is about respect for territorial integrity and the will not to escalate disputes, she added.
“And last but not least, it is about the great achievement of civilisation in calming and resolving conflicts between states under international and constitutional means.
“The Kremlin has broken these rules and principles in recent years,’’ she said.
Moscow shot at and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels near the disputed Crimea region at the weekend.
Russia annexed Crimea, the site of a major Russian naval base, in 2014 in retaliation for Ukraine ousting its pro-Russian president.
