Head of European diplomacy insists that Russia is an “existential threat” to Europe

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said this Friday that Russia represents an “existential threat” to Europe because, if he is successful, the Russian President will not stop in Ukraine.

Borrell spoke this Friday at Saint Antony’s College, at the University of Oxford, in England, about the global geopolitical situation and, in particular, about the two armed conflicts that the world is witnessing: that in Ukraine and that in the Middle East.

In his speech, entitled “Europe faces two wars”, the head of EU diplomacy insisted on the threat posed by the Russian President and highlighted that there are more and more voices warning of the global consequences of a Russian victory.

The Russian President sees the entire West as his adversary and repeats this on Russian state television, added Borrell, who believes that Europeans are not prepared for the harshness of the world to which they have finally woken up.

Borrell quoted Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev as saying that “it’s one thing to wake up and another to find the strength to get out of bed.”

“In some cases, we are still in bed”, he added, referring to the war in Ukraine, and underlining the “gravity of the current moment”.

“And then came another war”, with the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7 and Israel’s disproportionate response, he said.

The head of EU diplomacy stated that the land must be “shared”, so that Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side, which is why it is important to find a solution for the Middle East, he said, stressing that Europeans have a strong responsibility in this search.

Borrell gave as an example of hope the peace process in Northern Ireland, which seemed impossible to resolve, but years of patient negotiations led to the Good Friday Agreement (1998), which ended the sectarian conflict between pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Catholics.

However, Borrell warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a two-state solution and that Europe continues to ask him what he wants to have in order to have a response that avoids another human tragedy.

In his intervention, the High Representative argued that, to face the current geopolitical situation, it is necessary to diversify commercial ties and deepen cooperation with those who share European values ​​and interests, citing the United Kingdom, despite its departure from the European Union .

He also highlighted that, in today’s world, there are more confrontations and less cooperation, with the United States losing its hegemony, while China has grown and is its rival.

At the same time, middle powers such as India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey are emerging as important players on the world stage, he added.

Among other aspects, he indicated that climate change is not a future concern because it is already present, at the same time that technological changes and rapid demographic evolution are taking place, particularly in Africa, where 25% of the world’s population will live by 2050.