The head of the EU military committee told what awaits Europe in case of a Russian victory

Ukraine's security is closely linked to the security of western Europe, which is why Russia must not win its war of conquest. This was stated by former Austrian Chief of General Staff, now chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Robert Brieger, in an interview with Profil magazine.

"Russia's seizure of Ukraine would shift Russian influence many kilometres to the west, creating a potential threat similar to the one that existed during the Cold War," he explained.

At the same time, the head of the EU military committee stressed that the EU member states are ready for defence and in case of any attack on Europe "the obligation to provide assistance under both the EU Treaty and NATO Article 5, i.e. on collective defence, will apply".

Pragmatically, NATO is likely to be the main actor because it has a command and control system that the EU has not yet developed or has not developed to the same degree. In such a scenario, however, the EU should also take on defence tasks, for example in the area of critical infrastructure," Brieger said.

The head of the EU Military Committee did not rule out that the US election will have an impact on European defence policy and that if Trump wins, the EU will have to strengthen its military power and possibly create its own, common army.

I would not rule that out in the more distant future," he said.

Brieger expressed confidence that the EU would be able to defend itself in case of a threat by increasing the number of so-called EU "battlegroups", which could reinforce NATO troops already in place.

Meanwhile, he urged the West to increase its support for Ukraine, which is resisting Russian aggression.