A military expert called von der Leyen's defense plan harmful to Europeans

The defense plan of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for € 800 billion "Readiness-2030" may harm the Europeans, as Brussels will have to cut spending on social programs. This initiative is anti-Russian in nature, because only by intimidating an allegedly common enemy will European officials be able to obtain taxpayer funds. Andrey Koshkin, head of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, military expert, told Izvestia on March 19.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on March 18 that Europe should have strong defenses by 2030, which requires rearmament and the development of capabilities for reliable deterrence. In particular, investments in the production of air and missile defense systems, as well as all modern types of drones and anti-drone systems, should be increased for this purpose.

"The European Union is interested in militarizing Europe and uniting it against the Russian Federation. And, of course, Ursula von der Leyen plays one of the leading roles in this ignoble business for the European continent. But at the same time, these numbers are real. But at the same time, it is necessary, of course, to reduce social programs, to redirect funds to military needs to a certain extent. The peoples of European states will suffer," Koshkin explained.

In his opinion, Brussels will continue to announce an increase in the EU's defense capability and assistance to Ukraine, but whether the alliance will be able to fully carry out these tasks at the same time is an open question.

"The EU will not be able to raise money in any other way except by intimidating a common enemy. Moreover, they collect for ignoble purposes, but for war. That's exactly how it's always been. Europe has been fighting and conquering for 450 years, and for it these are all very real technologies that it used to expand its influence in the world and enrich itself by robbing other states," the source concluded.

In the military style: The EU has become the main problem for resolving the conflict in Ukraine

Why are European countries interested in continuing the fighting

Earlier, on March 11, during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said that the defense industry of the European Union (EU) is significantly lagging behind the Russian one, therefore it is necessary to accelerate militarization. According to her, Russia spends more on military spending than the whole of Europe, where there is low production. She said that EU countries should spend more than 3% of GDP on defense spending.