Unity is desperately needed, but the EU prefers turf wars to facing down Russia | Paul Taylor

"The closer Russia's hybrid war comes to European capitals, the less EU leaders seem able to agree on how to respond. That, at least, was the worrying impression left by a dissonant EU summit in Copenhagen. Summoned last week to build consensus on the top priorities for European rearmament, the meeting was an embarrassing display of the turf wars, political squabbles and hidden agendas that are plaguing attempts to build a coherent European defence."

"They voiced alarm at repeated breaches of their airspace by drones buzzing European airports and military bases, and Russian fighter jets violating their borders but appeared unsure how to react. Shoot them down? Escort them out? Keep calm and carry on? Or hit back by leveraging frozen Russian assets to provide a giant loan to Ukraine, taking more aggressive steps to choke off Moscow's oil and gas exports, and giving Kyiv long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia?"

"No consensus emerged in Copenhagen, but decisions need to be taken soon. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, must be laughing at the cacophony in the Danish capital and may well draw the conclusion that Europe is weak and divided in response to his mounting provocations. That would be dangerous for all sides. Leaders of the biggest EU powers used the informal summit to slap down the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen's, proposal to build a multilayered drone wall for eastern Europe."

An informal EU summit in Copenhagen produced no consensus on priorities for European rearmament. Leaders quarreled over who should lead the military buildup, how to finance Ukraine's resistance, and how to handle Kyiv's EU membership bid. Delegations expressed alarm at repeated airspace breaches by drones and Russian fighter jets, yet disagreed on responses ranging from shooting down intruders to leveraging frozen assets, choking fossil-fuel exports, or supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine. The biggest EU powers rejected Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for a multilayered eastern European drone wall and other flagship defence projects. The lack of unity risks encouraging further Russian provocations and weakening European security.

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