Italian leader Giorgia Maloni has warned that the aggressor country Russia poses a greater threat to the security of the European Union than previously thought, but Brussels will not allow dictator Putin to undermine the bloc.
Points of attention
- The European Union must do everything possible to protect its borders and regain control over the flows of illegal migrants.
- The bloc should think about its own defense, and not rely only on NATO.
Meloni challenged Putin
The Italian Prime Minister arrived on an official visit to Finland to meet with the leaders of Italy, Sweden, and Greece, as well as the head of the EU foreign policy department.
We must understand that the threat (from Russia — ed.) is much broader than we imagine.
George Maloney
Italian premiere
She believes that the threat to the security of the European Union from Russia or other countries will not go away after the end of the war in Ukraine.
Maloney also emphasized that the current discussion is about European democracy, influence on public opinion, as well as what is happening in Africa: about raw materials, about the instrumentalization of migration.
"We must know that this is a very broad concept of security," the politician noted.
What should the European Union do?
According to Maloney, against this background, members of the bloc should do everything possible to protect their borders.
In addition, it is extremely important not to let Putin or any "criminal organization" control the flow of illegal migrants.
The politician does not deny the fact that Brussels has made serious mistakes in addressing the migration issue over the years, as it has tried in every way to share the burden.
"Resolving the issue of illegal migration solely within the framework of a solidarity-based debate was a mistake. As a result, we have not been able to protect our borders... We want to protect our external borders and we will not allow Russia or criminal organizations to undermine our security," Maloney said.
According to her, while NATO remains the "cornerstone" of EU security, the bloc must address broader issues.
