How to respond to the Russian threat

BarcelonaThe European Union's defense ministers met this Monday with a question on the table: how can a coordinated response be provided to the hybrid warfare that Russia is posing as part of its strategy to prevent European partners from continuing to assist Ukraine in its war effort? The meeting coincided, by the way, with a strong Russian attack on the center of Kyiv that had nothing hybrid about it, but rather showed the horror of war in all its dimensions: bombed buildings, civilian victims and, what is worse, the feeling that this is just the beginning.

But, as we were saying, Moscow is posing this purely territorial conflict on two different levels: that of conventional war against Ukraine and that of sabotage and manipulation of public opinion in Europe. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who is Estonian and, therefore, knows very well what it is like to live under the Russian threat, proposed this Monday to the member states an emergency protocol for all incidents "that fall below the threshold of armed aggression" to provide a "firmer" and joint response to Moscow. It is about implementing a kind of NATO Article 4, which establishes that allies can consult and coordinate if someone sees their integrity or independence in danger, but within the scope of the European Union.

European intelligence services have already warned that Russia will increase both hybrid warfare actions and bombings on Ukrainian urban areas this autumn, hence the need and urgency for European partners to take measures and prepare as soon as possible. It is also important not to fall into the psychosis that everything is the work of Moscow so as not to overstate the threat, but it is logical that episodes such as the alleged attempted attack on a British air base with the presence of American aircraft that have participated in the Iran war trigger all the alarms. Many also see the massive entry of immigrants into Ceuta on July 30 as a form of hybrid warfare.

In any case, it is evident that we Europeans must take security in all its dimensions increasingly seriously, far beyond the strictly military or border spheres. Great Britain, which is not part of the EU but aspires to establish an alliance with it in this area, announced precisely this Monday a mega-investment in the nuclear submarine project, a type of weaponry that only France has within the EU. This power of deterrence seems increasingly necessary in a world like the current one.

The EU must identify very well who its main enemies are, and also ask itself who would benefit most from a weak and divided Europe, when drawing up a joint defense strategy. The Russian threat is currently the most urgent, for obvious reasons, but there will surely be many more in the future.