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🇵🇱 Poland /Conflict & Security

NATO experts warn Europe: A long conflict with Russia would pose a major problem

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Security experts linked to NATO said European societies are not prepared for a prolonged war with Russia and urged NATO planning to account for a relatively rapid resolution.
  • Diplomats said Russia exploits social divisions and fears, while governments face difficulty shifting spending from welfare to defense.
  • Poland, Britain, France, Germany and Italy are discussing closer defense cooperation, including joint air-defense and long-range strike capabilities as U.S. involvement may decline.

Europe is not ready for a long conflict with Russia, and the growing influence of pro-Kremlin and populist parties is helping Moscow’s hybrid war, The Guardian reported, citing security experts who cooperate with NATO.

Defense-sector representatives at a forum organized by the Munich Security Conference said European societies were not prepared to sustain a prolonged war. They argued that NATO planning should assume the need for a relatively quick resolution to any potential conflict.

British diplomats cited by The Guardian said Western countries had done too little to explain the scale of Russia’s hybrid war and the threats connected to it. Governments now face the difficult task of persuading voters to accept reduced social spending in favor of higher defense budgets.

Europe is in stagnation at a time when external threats are becoming truly serious.

· Wolfgang IschingerThe Munich Security Conference chairman called for greater European defense integration.

Forum participants said Russia was exploiting fears and divisions in European societies. They expressed concern about growing support for right-wing populists ahead of next year’s elections in Poland, France and Italy. Some parties, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany, take positions favorable to Moscow and support ending the war in Ukraine.

The growing influence of such parties could complicate European defense cooperation, just as the planned reduction of U.S. involvement in the continent’s conventional defense increases pressure for Europe to act. The E5 group, comprising the defense ministers of Poland, Britain, France, Germany and Italy, is discussing joint procurement of air and missile-defense systems and long-range precision-strike capabilities, many of which are currently provided largely by the United States. MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said Europe was “in stagnation” while external threats were becoming more serious. Germany has also blamed Russia for an August drone attack attempt on Leipzig airport, an accusation Moscow rejected.

These are enormous and existential challenges that require greater integration in the field of defense.

· Wolfgang IschingerHe described the scale of the security challenges facing Europe.
About this summary

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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