Von der Leyen: Putin is not hiding his contempt for EU
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin despises the European Union, aims to undermine its unity, and has allies within the EU who help him create "cracks of the edifice of Europe".
Source: von der Leyen at a European Parliament plenary debate, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Von der Leyen believes that Putin, through his "obedient friends", seeks to split the European Union from within.
"Look at what happened in Sochi just last week, where Putin gave his annual Valdai Club speech. We should all listen to his words carefully. He put the blame on Europe for his continued war of aggression in Ukraine," she said.
Von der Leyen noted that Putin "crowed about what he coined as 'the cracks of the edifice of Europe'".
"He [Putin] is not hiding his contempt for our Union and the foundations it is built on. And he is not hiding his glee and support for all of his obedient friends in Europe who are doing his work for him," the European Commission president said.
Quote: "This is the oldest trick in the book. Sow division, spread disinformation, create a scapegoat. All, to turn Europeans against each other. To try to lower our guard while we fight each other. To weaken our resolve and our resilience. This is a trap. And we simply cannot fall for it."
Background:
- On 6 October, the European Parliament held a debate on a motion of no confidence in the current European Commission headed by Ursula von der Leyen, initiated by the political groups The Left and Patriots for Europe.
- The vote on the motion of no confidence will take place on Thursday 9 October.
- On 10 July, the European Parliament already rejected a similar motion of no confidence against the von der Leyen Commission, initiated by Romanian far-right parties.
- Since the beginning of von der Leyen's second term in December 2024, the European Commission has been criticised for insufficient transparency.
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