Europe ‘needs to get serious’ about fighting its own battles, says Polish foreign minister

Europe “needs to get serious” about its defence, said Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski on Tuesday (Sep 3). 
The continent has to step up its own military capabilities “in strategic harmony” with its ally, the United States, he added in an interview with CNA from Kuala Lumpur. 
 
“Europe should not be helpless. We need to secure at least immediate borders,” said Sikorski, who is on a strategic visit to Southeast Asia to boost security and economic ties. 
“We should develop this capacity so that we can relieve American forces for other duties in other parts of the world.”
The former defence minister, known for his robust views on the need for security with teeth, stressed that there are threats that Europe should be capable of tackling on its own. 
This comes as “the US no longer has a doctrine of being capable of fighting two wars simultaneously”, he added. 
“So if an emergency crops up in another part of the globe, some of America’s capabilities would be used there and we need to step in.”
Sikorski, who served as a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Angola for various news organisations in the 1980s, believes the EU would require a dedicated defence commissioner to oversee security concerns. 
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously outlined plans to appoint a commissioner for defence in her next Cabinet.
The EU is also developing a Rapid Deployment Capacity to swiftly deploy troops in response to imminent threats and crisis situations.
This permanent military unit, which should be operational by 2026, will have the strength of a reinforced brigade of between 5,000 and 10,000 personnel, said Sikorski, adding that this would be a good start. 
EU defence spending has also increased as armed forces prepare for a more demanding era. 
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance, or NATO, expects 23 of its 32 members to achieve its target to spend 2 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence this year.
Poland is set to be the top spender, allocating about 4 per cent of its GDP to defence. The heavyweight in European defence will raise this level to 5 per cent in 2025. 
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has also given Europe a wake-up call to pump more into defence. 
Sikorski said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “colonial war of aggression on Ukraine” cannot stand. He noted that Ukraine gave up its arms and nuclear arsenal to Russia 30 years ago, in exchange for security assurances that its territorial sovereignty would be respected.
When asked about Chinese support for Russia, Sikorski said China is “honouring the thickest of our red lines and not supplying Russia with actual military equipment”. 
“But it has supplanted European companies in Russia, and it’s supplying Russia with many dual-use goods,” he said, referring to goods that can end up being used on the battlefield.
“We monitor to what extent the sanctions that have been imposed, financial and others, are being respected.”
Sikorski urged China to use its leverage to persuade Russia to end its war against Ukraine. 
“China would get itself a lot of goodwill and a lot of gratitude in Europe if it told Vladimir Putin enough is enough, (and that) Russia needs to come back to within the fold of international law,” he said.
“We need Russia to stop trying to rebuild the Russian Empire, and we need China … to tell Russia that the time of European colonial empires is over.”
Meanwhile, Europe is watching the rivalry between China and the US with some apprehension, said Sikorski.
“China is a partner and a competitor at the same time, and we want that rivalry to be conducted at the right temperature, without boiling over,” he added.