President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says that the European Union must immediately increase its defense spending in order to meet Russia’s growing defense investments.
According to Von der Leyen, “something is wrong” when Russia spends up to 9 percent of its GDP on defense, compared to the EU’s 1.9 percent.
The EU has no time to waste with the Ukrainian war raging near the Union’s borders, the chairman stresses.
– We must be as ambitious as the threats are serious, he told the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The European Parliament will vote on Wednesday on whether to approve von der Leyen’s second commission.
Source: AFP