The European People’s Party (EVP) parliamentary group leader in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, is looking at the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin with concern.
“A meeting of this kind is currently giving me more cause for concern, because as Europeans, we still haven’t developed sufficient defense capabilities to effectively represent our interests in these negotiations, as I would wish” Weber told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. “I see this as a wake-up call to take the European defense capability seriously now.”
The CSU politician called for Europeans to be seated at the table during the Trump-Putin negotiations. “Only when Europeans are seated at the table can we defend our interests. It’s ultimately about our security and freedom on European soil, which Putin is challenging” Weber emphasized. Essential principles for a deal between Trump and Putin must be clear: “No agreement without the consent of Ukraine and without the consent of Europe.